Location: Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S.
NASA is mounting an ambitious mission to rescue a deteriorating space telescope, Swift, by raising it to a higher orbit. The $30 million operation will launch a robotic lifeline this week. The startup company Katalyst Space Technologies has been hired to assist in elevating the Swift Observatory, intended to continue tracking cosmic explosions.
The robot-built spacecraft will depart from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific using a Pegasus rocket launched by an aircraft. The launch could occur as soon as Tuesday. Swift, operational since 2004, has been dropping swiftly due to recent solar activity and needs to stabilize rapidly. The aging Hubble Space Telescope may be next to need rescue, as it too is losing altitude due to solar flares.
Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space, indicates that their next-gen robot, still being developed, might save Hubble in a few years. Only China has executed a similar mission by successfully boosting a satellite to a higher graveyard orbit.
“This is the first U.S. space robot undertaking such a mission,” Lee told The Associated Press.
Katalyst’s autonomous spacecraft, named Link, will take about a month to rendezvous with Swift and capture it. Elevating Swift’s orbit from 360 km (224 miles) to a desired 600 km (373 miles) will take further months. Swift needs to stay above 300 km (185 miles) for the rescue to succeed, with estimates suggesting it might reach the critical threshold by October.
Link, comparable to a kitchen fridge, has three arms reaching a little over 1 meter (3 feet) with gripping claws akin to Lego figurines’ hands. If successful, Swift might resume operations by September, according to Lee.
Swift, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, was never meant to be repaired or salvaged, making the task challenging with no guarantee of success. NASA agreed with Katalyst in September, emphasizing urgency while avoiding further complications. Nine months in, the company is prepared to act.
“Honesty compels me to say, nobody thought this was possible or that we would progress this far,” confessed Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA’s Astrophysics Director.
To slow Swift’s descent, NASA disabled all scientific instruments in February.
Nicky Fox, NASA’s Scientific Missions Chief, stated, “Letting Swift reenter would mean losing the telescope and vast capabilities. We lack funds for a replacement.”
Swift is distinctive in space. Swift pivots quickly to capture spontaneous astronomical events, such as gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars. With imminent discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope and Roman Telescope, Swift could become NASA’s “first responder” if saved.
Katalyst views Swift’s mission as a launch point for a space repair business. The company’s next-gen rescue robot is scheduled for launch next year to assist satellites even at 35,800 km (22,300 miles). Lee envisions a multitude of orbital robots repairing, elevating, refueling satellites, and constructing solar farms, data centers, and more.
In 2028, when Hubble may be next for Katalyst’s boost, Fox acknowledged Hubble’s national treasure status. “People love Hubble,” she added.
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This story is backed by several scientific education foundations and was translated from English by an AP editor using AI assistance.