Link Spacecraft Launches to Attempt Capture and Raise of Swift Observatory

A three-armed spacecraft named Link launched into orbit Friday from the Marshall Islands aboard a Pegasus rocket carried by a modified airplane. The vehicle is scheduled to reach the Swift Observatory in about a month. Link will approach Swift, use its three robotic arms to capture the 1.6-ton observatory, and then fire thrusters over two to three months to raise its altitude by 150 miles.

Swift currently orbits at 224 miles above Earth after descending from its original 373-mile altitude. Recent solar storms have increased atmospheric drag on the spacecraft. Swift, launched in 2004, carries three telescopes to observe gamma-ray bursts and other high-energy cosmic events.

Observations with the telescope are currently suspended to preserve remaining fuel and orbit. Katalyst Space Technologies assembled the Link spacecraft in eight months at its Flagstaff, Arizona facility under a $30 million NASA contract. ” Dr.

Simeon Barber of the Open University described the effort as high risk but worth attempting because Swift enables unique observations of high-energy cosmic phenomena. Without intervention, Swift is expected to re-enter and burn up in October. If the mission succeeds, the telescope could resume operations by September.

NASA has noted that Hubble could become a candidate for a similar operation in coming years as its orbit also declines.