Spin-out crisis as private LINK mission races to rescue NASA’s Swift telescope

A private mission by Katalyst Space to reposition NASA’s Swift gamma‑ray observatory has hit a snag: the LINK spacecraft is spinning after launch, threatening to delay the rescue unless engineers can stabilize it. With two of three attitude‑control wheels malfunctioning and rotation reduced to about four degrees per second from nine, teams aim for a late‑August rendezvous with Swift before the telescope drops back to Earth this autumn, a success that could extend Swift’s life by years and cost roughly $30 million.