NASA calls off Swift telescope rescue mission

NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have called off the mission to rescue the aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere later this year. The decision, announced Wednesday, comes after the LINK spacecraft suffered ongoing attitude control issues that prevented it from capturing and boosting the observatory to a higher orbit. Source: Ars Technica

What happened

Swift, launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, has been losing altitude due to atmospheric drag, accelerated by increased solar activity. NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract to build and launch LINK, which lifted off on July 3. However, in late July, two of LINK's three reaction wheels failed, causing the spacecraft to spin uncontrollably. Despite efforts to fix the issue, NASA and Katalyst announced the rescue would not proceed. Source: Gizmodo

The reaction

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, "This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting." Source: Wired Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee added, "We took on this high-risk, high-reward challenge and are proud of the milestones we reached along the way." Source: AP News

What's next

LINK will still attempt rendezvous and proximity operations with Swift to gather data for future satellite servicing missions. NASA expects Swift to re-enter the atmosphere by the end of 2026, possibly as early as October. The agency will prioritize finding new ways to respond rapidly to cosmic events. Source: Engadget