Katalyst's LINK Spacecraft Aborts Rescue of NASA's Decaying Swift Observatory

Katalyst Space's LINK robotic-servicing spacecraft, sent to boost NASA's fast-decaying Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory into a higher orbit, has had to abandon its rendezvous after a thruster control issue sent it spinning uncontrollably. NASA called off the mission, and both spacecraft are now expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere within months.

Swift's orbit began decaying faster than expected last year because of increased solar activity, giving Arizona-based Katalyst Space less than a year to design, build and test LINK before it had to launch — an effort considered a "Hail Mary" attempt from the start. LINK was designed to rendezvous with Swift, grapple it with robotic arms, and raise it to a safer altitude.

LINK launched July 3 aboard an air-launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. About three weeks after reaching orbit, it developed a thruster control issue that caused it to spin uncontrollably, forcing NASA to call off the planned rendezvous and grapple.

Though it could no longer dock with Swift, LINK still achieved part of its mission. Katalyst successfully fired all three of LINK's electric propulsion thrusters to adjust its orbit, flying within 7.5 to 9 miles (12 to 15 kilometers) of Swift, and deployed all three of its robotic arms — the ones that would have grappled the observatory — for technology-demonstration purposes Katalyst hopes to apply to future satellite-servicing missions.

Swift has studied high-energy phenomena such as gamma-ray bursts, supernovas, black-hole ejections and fast radio bursts since its November 2004 launch, a mission spanning more than 20 years. Two of its three science instruments, the X-ray Telescope and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, were turned back on in late August after being shut down in February to reduce atmospheric drag ahead of the now-abandoned boost attempt. Swift is expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere before the end of the year, and LINK is expected to meet the same fate within the next few weeks.