NASA Launches Bold "Space Rescue" Mission: Robot Sent to Orbit to Extend Life of 20-Year-Old Space Telescope

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is launching a landmark "space rescue" operation to save the Swift Observatory—currently experiencing orbital decay—from falling into Earth's atmosphere. With a total budget of $30 million, the mission will begin this week, sending an autonomous robot into low Earth orbit to push the now-20-year-old observatory into a higher, more stable orbit.

If successful, this would mark the first time the United States uses robotics to perform orbital rescue on an operational scientific satellite. Not only could it extend the observatory’s lifespan, but it will also provide crucial experience for future in-orbit services such as satellite servicing, refueling, and orbit raising.

Solar Activity Causes Continuous Orbital Decay

The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004, originally costing $250 million. Its primary mission was to detect some of the most violent cosmic explosions—gamma-ray bursts. Once it detects high-energy signals from space, it can reorient itself toward the target within seconds. Designed for a two-year lifespan, its exceptional performance has allowed it to operate over 20 years beyond its intended life. During this period, it has recorded thousands of gamma-ray bursts, providing vital data for research on black holes, neutron stars, and supernovae.

Due to increased solar activity in recent years, solar wind has continuously heated Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing it to expand outward and increasing air resistance experienced by low-orbit satellites. As a result, Swift’s orbital decay has accelerated significantly. Currently, its altitude stands at approximately 360 kilometers. NASA estimates that without intervention, it will fall below the critical “rescue threshold” of around 300 kilometers by October this year, after which it will continue descending toward Earth and ultimately burn up upon atmospheric re-entry.

To buy time, NASA shut down all of Swift’s scientific instruments in February this year to slow its orbital decay.

Robot Conducts First U.S. Orbital Rescue

The company responsible for this mission is Katalyst Space Technologies, a U.S.-based startup. In September last year, NASA signed a contract with the company to expedite this unprecedented orbital rescue mission.

Katalyst’s autonomous spacecraft, named Link, will be launched aboard a Pegasus rocket carried by an aircraft. After entering orbit, Link is expected to take about one month to catch up with Swift. Since both spacecraft are traveling at several kilometers per second around Earth, achieving final approach and docking requires extremely precise navigation.

The real challenge lies in the fact that the 1.6-ton Swift Observatory was never designed for repair or retrieval and lacks dedicated interfaces for robotic capture. Link must rely on three mechanical arms to grapple the observatory. Once captured, Link will use its own propulsion system to raise Swift’s orbit from its current ~360 km to about 600 km over roughly two months, after which it will disconnect.

The entire process will rely almost entirely on autonomous control. NASA warns this is a high-risk mission with no prior precedent. In addition to Swift having no design features for towing, Link’s development has taken just a few months, and the intervention will occur in a highly congested low Earth orbit.

According to Reuters, China is the only other country known to have attempted a similar mission—four years ago successfully moving a failed satellite into a higher graveyard orbit.

“This is the first American space robot capable of performing such a task,” said Katalyst CEO Koon Hee Lee, speaking to Reuters. “NASA operates many large, advanced observatories; they will all benefit from this technology in the future.”

Link’s launch could happen as early as Tuesday. Lee said that if everything goes smoothly, Swift might be reactivated as early as September.

NASA’s Science Mission Director Nikki Fox said the effort is worth it. “If we let Swift re-enter the atmosphere, we lose it—and with it, a vast amount of observational capability. And right now, we don’t have the budget to build another telescope to replace Swift,” she stated.

As its name suggests, Swift was designed to rapidly reorient itself to capture sudden astronomical phenomena—like gamma-ray bursts and stellar explosions. With the James Webb Space Telescope and the upcoming Roman Space Telescope expected to make even more discoveries, Swift, if successfully rescued, will be busier than ever as NASA’s “emergency responder.”

Opening a New Era of Space Repair

The greater significance of this mission lies in validating future models for in-orbit space services. Katalyst views this mission as the starting point for launching a new era of space-based maintenance services. The company plans to introduce a next-generation robot next year capable of servicing satellites up to 22,300 miles above Earth. Lee envisions a future with hundreds of orbital robots that can not only repair and boost satellites, but also refuel them and construct solar power stations, data centers, and other orbital platforms.

Moreover, NASA’s famed Hubble Space Telescope faces a similar orbital decay issue that threatens its operational lifespan. Having operated for 36 years, Hubble has already undergone multiple servicing missions conducted by astronauts during spacewalks. It may soon become the next candidate for rescue. Lee said that if the Swift mission succeeds, attempts to perform robotic orbit boosting for Hubble could begin as early as 2028.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1869481804130313/

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