NASA has officially called off a rescue mission intended to save the dying Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory on Wednesday, leaving the space telescope doomed to an uncontrolled fall back to Earth later this year.
The space agency had spent $30 million hoping to deploy a secondary spacecraft to push the observatory into a higher orbit. The exact date and location of the telescope's reentry remain unknown.
The rescue spacecraft, named Link, went into an uncontrollable spin just weeks after launching in early July. Although flight controllers managed to slow down the vehicle's tumble, persistent issues continued to plague its pointing and positioning in orbit.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman addressed the outcome in a statement released on Wednesday. "This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting," Isaacman said.
Decaying orbit of the Swift Observatory
The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, which are the most powerful explosions in the universe, as well as other high-energy cosmic objects and events. NASA originally designed the telescope for a two-year prime mission.
Spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit remain susceptible to atmospheric drag, which increases when heightened solar activity heats and expands the upper atmosphere. After 21 years of active science operations, Swift saw its low orbit begin to decay rapidly due to intense solar activity.
To save the telescope, NASA partnered with Katalyst Space, an aerospace startup based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Katalyst Space specializes in robotic spacecraft, on-orbit satellite servicing, and autonomous space infrastructure.
The rescue craft was launched in early July to approach the Swift Observatory at an altitude of roughly 216 miles in space. Under the operational plan, Link was supposed to grapple onto the telescope and tug it into a higher orbit of approximately 373 miles, extending its operational lifespan by several years.
Technical troubles and joint decision
However, Link suffered severe operational problems shortly after launch, sending engineers scrambling for weeks to regain control of the spacecraft. Flight controllers uploaded new positioning control software last week that managed to slow the vehicle's errant spinning, but could not resolve the underlying issue.
Following extended evaluations, Katalyst Space and NASA announced the termination of the capture attempt in a joint statement on Wednesday. "Following continued monitoring and assessment of the LINK spacecraft, Katalyst Space and NASA together have concluded that due to ongoing attitude control issues, the mission will not include the capture and boost of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory," the statement read.
The effort to boost the observatory's orbit marked the first US mission of its kind. Katalyst built and tested the Link rescue vehicle on an unprecedented nine-month production schedule. Katalyst Chief Executive Officer Ghonhee Lee reflected on the undertaking in a statement. "We took on this high-risk, high-reward challenge and are proud of the milestones we reached along the way," Lee said.
Future proximity operations and lessons learned
Despite calling off the boosting maneuver, flight teams will still attempt to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations between Link and the Swift Observatory. NASA officials said the maneuver aims to demonstrate key technical capabilities needed for the future of space exploration and satellite servicing.
Isaacman emphasized that the agency remains committed to high-reward technical endeavors. "NASA should be willing to move quickly and take smart risks when the potential return is worth it, and that is exactly what we did with this mission," Isaacman said. "The team moved with extraordinary speed to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities America will need for satellite servicing in the future. We are going to learn everything we can from Link’s rendezvous attempt and put those lessons to work on the missions that follow."
