NASA is preparing to launch a robotic rescue mission this week to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which is sinking toward Earth due to intense atmospheric drag caused by solar activity.
If successful, this $30 million salvage operation could revolutionize the space industry by proving that aging, non-serviceable satellites can be repaired and redeployed rather than discarded.
- A high-stakes rescue: NASA has contracted a private startup to deploy an autonomous, three-armed robotic spacecraft named Link that will rendezvous with the telescope and boost it from its current altitude of roughly 360 kilometers to a safer, more stable orbit of 600 kilometers.
- An unconventional launch: Because of the telescope’s specific orbital path, the mission will utilize a Pegasus air-launched rocket, which will be dropped from an aircraft over the Pacific Ocean before igniting its engines to reach space.
- A blueprint for the future: This operation serves as a critical test case for on-orbit servicing; if the technology proves effective, similar robotic missions could eventually be used to extend the operational lives of other valuable assets, including the aging Hubble Space Telescope.