Swift Observatory Rescue Slips Toward Crisis as Commercial Grabber Spokesrisks Spins
TL;DR Summary
NASA's mission to rescue the Swift Observatory is at risk after the LINK grabber, launched on a Pegasus XL, began spinning uncontrollably and has only sporadic communications. Ground teams are using electric propulsion to slow the spin and stabilize LINK so it can reattempt approaching Swift and boost its orbit, potentially by late August. A successful operation would mark the first commercial robotic capture of a government satellite and extend Swift's mission to study gamma-ray bursts for years.
- NASA's bid to save a prized space telescope takes an alarming turn USA Today
- LINK Spacecraft Recovery Progressing for NASA’s Swift Boost NASA Science (.gov)
- Mission to Save Falling NASA Space Telescope Suffers Setback The New York Times
- Here’s how engineers plan to save the satellite sent to save NASA’s Swift mission Ars Technica
- Next step for LINK spacecraft – a software update that won't make things worse. Are you listening, Microsoft? The Register
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