NASA and Katalyst Space launch Swift telescope rescue mission

NASA is partnering with the private startup Katalyst Space to launch the Swift Boost mission, which will capture and lift the aging Swift gamma‑ray observatory to a safer orbit after years of orbital decay accelerated by heightened solar activity. The robotic LINK spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space, will rendezvous with Swift, attach to it and use its own propulsion to raise Swift’s altitude from roughly 373 km back toward its original 600 km orbit.

The mission, scheduled for launch on 27 June from Kwajalein Atoll, represents a pioneering effort to service an operational scientific satellite in low Earth orbit. Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said, “What the Katalyst team achieved in just eight months is extraordinary,” and NASA senior researcher Brad Cenko added, “We are doing this at a pace that is really crazy from a space‑operations perspective.” If successful, the operation could set a precedent for future on‑orbit satellite servicing and extend Swift’s ability to detect gamma‑ray bursts and other high‑energy cosmic events for years to come.