NASA launches rescue mission to boost Swift space telescope

NASA is preparing a robotic rescue mission to raise the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, an aging space telescope that has been studying gamma‑ray bursts since 2004. The agency awarded a $30 million contract to Katalyst Space Technologies to build a 6‑foot, 880‑pound spacecraft called LINK, which will be launched on a Pegasus XL rocket deployed from Northrop Grumman’s Stargazer aircraft over the Marshall Islands. The launch is slated for early Tuesday, and the spacecraft will attempt to capture Swift and move it to a higher, more stable orbit after intense solar activity increased atmospheric drag and threatened to pull the satellite into a critical low‑Earth orbit.

If successful, the mission could extend Swift’s scientific life at a fraction of the cost of a new satellite and demonstrate in‑orbit servicing capabilities for future missions. Swift has contributed data on more than 1,400 gamma‑ray bursts, including the most distant one ever detected.