NASA Plans Daring Rescue Mission To Save SWIFT Observatory Telescope From Falling Out of Space

New Delhi: NASA is preparing an unprecedented space rescue mission to save its 22-year-old Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which is slowly losing altitude and risks burning up in Earth's atmosphere due to orbital decay.

The observatory, launched in 2004 to detect gamma-ray bursts - the universe's most powerful explosions - remains fully operational. However, atmospheric drag has steadily pulled the spacecraft into a lower orbit, a problem worsened by heightened solar activity over the past two years. Since Swift was never equipped with its own propulsion system, it cannot raise its orbit on its own.

To prevent the telescope from re-entering Earth's atmosphere, NASA has partnered with Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies, which has developed a robotic servicing spacecraft named Link.

The spacecraft will rendezvous with Swift, capture it in orbit and gently push it into a higher, safer orbit, extending the observatory's scientific life.

The mission is considered a landmark in satellite servicing because it will be the first attempt by a privately built spacecraft to dock with and reposition an operational robotic satellite owned by the US government.

NASA officials have described the effort as a fast-paced, high-risk mission with no room for major delays.

Link is scheduled to launch aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, which will be air-launched from the company's Stargazer aircraft after taking off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The unusual launch system was chosen because it best matches Swift's orbit and the mission's tight schedule.

To maximise the telescope's survival until the rescue mission, NASA has already reduced Swift's science operations and adjusted its orientation in space to minimise atmospheric drag, buying engineers additional time for the rendezvous.

If successful, the mission will not only extend the life of one of NASA's most productive space observatories but could also pave the way for future robotic servicing missions, enabling ageing satellites to be repaired, refuelled or repositioned instead of being abandoned. 

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