All articles tagged with #link spacecraft
A high-stakes mission launched with Northrop Grumman’s Link spacecraft to capture NASA’s Swift Observatory and lift its orbit by about 150 miles, preventing its fall to Earth and allowing resumed gamma-ray burst observations by September.
NASA launched the LINK servicing satellite aboard a Pegasus XL rocket to rendezvous with the aging Swift Observatory and tow it into a higher, stable orbit to prevent its reentry into Earth's atmosphere. LINK, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, will use robotic arms to capture Swift and then fire ion thrusters to gradually raise the duo’s orbit over months, extending Swift’s scientific life for years at a cost of about $30 million — a private mission that could mark the first private capture of a U.S. government satellite.