NASA deploys robotic lifeline to save Swift telescope from orbital decay

NASA is launching a $30 million robotic rescue mission to save the Swift Observatory from descending into a lower, unstable orbit. The startup Katalyst Space Technologies will send a three‑armed robot, Link, to rendezvous with Swift, capture it, and raise its orbit from about 224 miles to 373 miles, buying time for the gamma‑ray burst observatory. The mission, potentially launched this week from a Pacific atoll aboard a Pegasus rocket, could take a month to reach Swift and several more weeks to reach the target altitude. If successful, Swift could stay operational into September, preserving a valuable capability for NASA’s early‑warning astronomy, and paving the way for future in‑space servicing—though there are no guarantees. The effort also signals a potential path for servicing missions to other aging observatories like Hubble.