An urgent mission to save NASA’s Swift Observatory remains grounded due to a last-minute launch issue. The Northrop Grumman rocket plane took off Thursday from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. However, software problems led to a cancellation, causing the Pegasus rocket to stay secured to the aircraft, as reported by NASA.
The issue has since been resolved, and another launch attempt is scheduled for Friday. The rocket carries a robotic spacecraft with three arms built by Katalyst Space Technologies. This mission aims to rescue the Swift Observatory, which faces a potential crash before October without intervention.
This year, NASA paused Swift’s scientific operations to extend its orbit for as long as possible. Since its 2004 launch, Swift has detected thousands of gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars, providing necessary alerts for other telescopes to conduct more detailed observations.
To ensure Swift continues its work, NASA hired Katalyst Space last September for a $30 million salvage operation.