NASA to Launch Robotic Spacecraft to Raise Swift Observatory Orbit

NASA will launch a robotic spacecraft as early as Tuesday to raise the Swift Observatory from its current altitude of 224 miles to a target of 373 miles. The three-armed vehicle, built by Katalyst Space Technologies and named Link, will lift off from an atoll in the Marshall Islands aboard a Pegasus rocket.

The $30 million operation follows a contract signed last September that required completion on an accelerated schedule without worsening the telescope's condition.

Link measures roughly the size of a small kitchen refrigerator and carries a 40-foot solar wingspan. Each of its three arms extends just over 3 feet and ends in two finger-like pinching grippers. The 1.6-ton spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with Swift within one month of launch and then spend an additional couple of months raising the observatory's orbit.

Swift has operated since its 2004 launch but has lost altitude more rapidly amid recent solar activity. All scientific instruments were turned off in February to slow the decay. The gamma-ray observatory must remain above 185 miles for the rescue to succeed; current projections place it at that threshold in October.

If the mission succeeds, Swift could resume operations by September. Katalyst Space Technologies CEO Ghonhee Lee said the effort demonstrates a new capability for servicing senior observatories. “This is the first American space robot to go up and do anything like this,” Lee told The Associated Press.

Only China has performed a comparable maneuver, boosting a satellite into a higher graveyard orbit four years ago. NASA astrophysics director Shawn Domagal-Goldman noted that no one initially expected the project to advance as far as it has. Science mission chief Nicky Fox said preserving Swift avoids losing unique rapid-response observations of gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars.