An ambitious mission to rescue NASA’s aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been called off after the spacecraft sent to move the telescope into a higher orbit developed serious technical problems in space. Katalyst Space, the Arizona-based startup that operated the rescue mission, said on Wednesday that its LINK spacecraft suffered continuing attitude-control problems that could not be resolved.
The failure means the Swift observatory, a highly valued NASA space telescope that has studied some of the universe’s most powerful explosions and other cosmic events since 2004, is now expected to eventually re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
The LINK spacecraft was launched in early July with a specific mission: approach NASA’s Swift Observatory, capture it and raise its orbit. Swift was orbiting at about 216 miles (347 kilometers) above Earth. The plan was to raise the observatory to roughly 373 miles (600 kilometers).
Moving Swift to a higher orbit was intended to extend the telescope’s operational life by several years and potentially allow scientists to continue using its instruments to study gamma-ray bursts and other high-energy phenomena. However, shortly after reaching orbit, LINK began spinning uncontrollably.
Katalyst engineers spent weeks attempting to regain control. The company uploaded new positioning-control software the previous week, which reduced the spinning but did not stop it.
Following further monitoring and assessment, Katalyst and NASA concluded that the spacecraft’s continuing attitude-control problems made it impossible to safely proceed with the planned capture and orbit-boosting operation. With the rescue mission abandoned, NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to gradually lose altitude.
The observatory is likely to eventually enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up later this year, according to the report. Swift, valued at about $500 million, has been operating since 2004 and has played an important role in the study of gamma-ray bursts, extremely powerful cosmic explosions.
The observatory has also contributed to research into other energetic events and phenomena across the universe. Its loss would therefore bring an end to more than two decades of scientific observations from the telescope. The rescue attempt was particularly ambitious because it represented the first US mission of its kind, according to the report. Katalyst Space, founded in 2019, said it designed, built and tested the vehicle on an unusually rapid nine-month production schedule under a $30 million NASA contract.
The mission was intended to demonstrate how newer commercial space companies could help extend the lives of aging government spacecraft rather than allowing them to naturally fall from orbit. A setback, but an important test for in-space servicing
The failed mission highlights the technical challenges involved in servicing spacecraft that are already in orbit. A rescue operation such as this requires a spacecraft to maintain precise control while approaching another satellite, safely capture it and then change its orbit. Any serious problem with the rescue vehicle’s ability to control its position or orientation can make the operation impossible.
Although LINK did not complete its primary objective, the mission was designed to test capabilities that could become increasingly important as governments and private companies operate more spacecraft in orbit.
For Swift, however, the failed rescue attempt is likely to mark the final chapter of a mission that has provided scientists with more than 20 years of observations of some of the universe’s most dramatic events.
