NASA Halts Swift Rescue Mission as Observatory Nears Re-entry
TL;DR
NASA canceled the plan to boost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher orbit after LINK’s attitude-control issues; the telescope is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year. LINK will still rendezvous with Swift to gather data, but the mission will not rescue or extend Swift’s life. NASA will pursue alternative options to react rapidly to cosmic events and learn from the rendezvous attempt for future satellite-servicing missions.
- NASA Calls Off Mission To Rescue The Falling Swift Observatory Engadget
- Rescue mission can’t prevent NASA observatory from falling to Earth CNN
- NASA's mission to save Swift Observatory fails. Here's what went wrong USA Today
- NASA’s Attempt to Save Its Falling Telescope Has Failed The New York Times
- NASA Updates Next Steps for Commercial Swift Boost Mission NASA (.gov)
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