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NASA Says LINK Spacecraft Will Not Boost Swift Satellite as Planned

An attitude control issue means the commercial LINK spacecraft will not boost NASA's Swift Observatory to a higher orbit, though it will still attempt a rendezvous to test satellite-servicing techniques.

चरण दर चरण

  1. 1

    LINK launches on Pegasus XL rocket

  2. 2

    Teams complete in-orbit checkouts

  3. 3

    Spacecraft suffers attitude control issue

  4. 4

    Plan revised to rendezvous attempt only

  5. 5

    Swift re-entry expected later this year

NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday that an ongoing attitude control issue — a problem with the commercial spacecraft's ability to orient and stabilize itself — means the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher altitude as planned. LINK will still attempt rendezvous and proximity operations, maneuvers that bring one spacecraft close to another, to demonstrate capabilities for the future of space exploration.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the mission team "moved with extraordinary speed to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities America will need for satellite servicing in the future." He added, "This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting." NASA and Katalyst are working to assess next steps for the rendezvous attempt and gather data for future satellite servicing.

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said, "We knew this was a high-risk, high-reward mission – a first-of-its kind attempt, developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by the Sun's activity." He said the team had hoped for more science from Swift but knew the mission's takeaways would be worthwhile either way, adding that building, testing and operating it has already strengthened the country's space industry pipeline.

Swift launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, and was designed for a two-year prime mission. After 21 years of science operations, its low Earth orbit began to rapidly decay because of increased solar activity. NASA awarded Katalyst a contract in September 2025 to mount a robotic servicing mission for Swift in less than a year. LINK launched July 3 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll, and teams conducted in-orbit checkouts before the issue began.

Without intervention, NASA anticipates that Swift is likely to re-enter Earth's atmosphere later this year.

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#NASA#Swift Observatory#Katalyst Space#LINK spacecraft#satellite servicing
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