NASA abandons Swift telescope rescue as Katalyst Link spacecraft hits attitude control issue

NASA and Katalyst Space announced that the Link spacecraft will no longer attempt to capture or boost the Swift telescope to a higher orbit. The decision stems from an ongoing attitude control issue that began affecting the Link spacecraft after its July 3rd launch, with problems surfacing by the end of July. The mission was described by NASA astrophysics director Shawn Domagal-Goldman as a high-risk, high-reward first-of-its-kind attempt developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by solar activity.

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts and was originally planned for a two-year mission. It later became a general-purpose multi-wavelength observatory, but a recent increase in solar activity pushed its orbit lower, prompting the rescue attempt. Katalyst was awarded a $30 million contract in September last year to carry out the orbit-boost plan, a significant investment that will not achieve its primary goal.

Rather than boosting Swift, the Link spacecraft will now conduct rendezvous and proximity operations to collect data for future space exploration. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman acknowledged the outcome was not what the agency worked toward but maintained the mission was worth attempting. The shift from rescue to data collection means the contract still yields operational experience, even though the scientific return from Swift itself is ending.

Only one feed carried this story, so corroboration is limited to the single report from The Verge. The material does not specify the nature of the attitude control issue beyond its label, nor does it detail what data the rendezvous operations will collect. Without additional intervention, NASA expects Swift to re-enter and burn up in Earth's atmosphere later this year, closing out a mission that far exceeded its original design lifetime.