NASA Abandons $30M Swift Telescope Rescue
NASA Abandons $30M Swift Telescope Rescue
The News
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies called off the rescue of NASA's sinking Swift Observatory on Wednesday, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry through Earth's atmosphere later this year.
NASA paid Katalyst $30 million to raise Swift into a safer, longer-lasting orbit. The startup's Link spacecraft launched in early July, then went into an uncontrollable spin.
Katalyst said Link will not try to capture Swift and boost it because it cannot reliably control the craft.
Timeline
Swift launches, beginning more than 20 years of tracking gamma ray bursts and exploding stars.
NASA switches off Swift's science instruments to slow its descent, after intense solar activity caused the telescope to lose altitude faster than expected.
Katalyst's Link spacecraft lifts off on the rescue attempt.
Link enters an uncontrollable spin. Flight controllers slow the tumble, but problems with the craft's pointing and positioning continue.
Swift is orbiting 216 miles (347 kilometers) up.
NASA and Katalyst announce the capture-and-boost attempt is off.
Reactions
"This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee called it an ambitious mission on an aggressive timeline, thrown together in under a year.
"We took on this high-risk, high-reward challenge and are proud of the milestones we reached along the way," Lee said in a statement. "We have already learned a tremendous amount."
What's Next
Swift will plunge through the atmosphere later this year.
Katalyst will keep flying Link in close proximity to the telescope as a consolation prize, demonstrating capabilities for future rescue operations.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was next in line for a boost had the Swift attempt succeeded. The 36-year-old Hubble is also dropping in orbit because of the sun's recent outbursts, and it was not immediately known whether a Hubble rescue is still on the table.
More
Swift's problem was the sun, not age alone: intense solar activity thickened the upper atmosphere and dragged the telescope down faster than NASA planned for. Turning off its instruments bought time but could not stop the fall — only a boost could, and that boost is now off the table.
The failure also leaves the bigger question of commercial satellite servicing unanswered. NASA bet $30 million on a first-of-its-kind private rescue, and the hardware never got close enough to try.
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