Katalyst Space to Attempt First Robotic Rescue of NASA's Swift Telescope

NASA is partnering with U.S. startup Katalyst Space on a $30 million mission to capture and raise the aging Swift Space Observatory before it re‑enters Earth’s atmosphere. The company has built a 424‑kilogram robotic spacecraft, called LINK, in just 250 days. LINK will be launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket released from a Lockheed L‑1011 carrier aircraft over Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific.

After launch, LINK will rendezvous with Swift within about three weeks, grapple the 22‑year‑old satellite, and use its thrusters over two to three months to lift Swift into a more stable orbit, potentially extending the telescope’s scientific life by up to ten years. Once the task is complete, LINK will deorbit and burn up, avoiding the creation of additional space debris. The mission is being billed as a historic first in on‑orbit satellite rescue and could serve as a blueprint for future satellite servicing and debris mitigation efforts.