Scientists have devised a strategy to prevent a significant satellite from plummeting towards its premature destruction.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, operated by NASA to analyze gamma-ray bursts, is descending towards Earth at a faster rate than predicted. Originally slated to operate until 2030, it is now on track to disintegrate in the planet’s atmosphere by year-end.
In response, NASA has collaborated with Katalyst Space, a commercial entity, to develop a robotic spacecraft capable of propelling Swift back into a higher orbit, potentially elongating its lifespan by ten to twenty years.
Brad Cenko, the principal investigator for Swift, highlighted that NASA typically undertakes large-scale missions meticulously over several decades. However, due to Swift’s imminent risk, this plan was expedited and formulated within about a year and a half.
“This project diverges from NASA’s usual operations,” Cenko conveyed to host Nil Köksal on As It Happens. “Therefore, success is not guaranteed.”
An aircraft, a rocket, and three robotic appendages
In early 2025, NASA discovered that Swift was gravitating towards Earth’s orbit at an accelerated pace, attributed to unforeseen surges in solar activity. This surge in activity also enhanced the visibility of the Northern Lights.
“While visually stunning, each occurrence signals our satellite’s hastened descent,” Cenko remarked.
Launched in 2004, Swift originally orbited at 600 kilometers above sea level. Presently, it hovers around 360 kilometers.
Consequently, NASA enlisted the services of Katalyst, based in Arkansas, to construct a solution capable of reaching Swift in time to avert its demise.
The outcome is LINK, a robotic spacecraft designed to engage with Swift. This posed a unique challenge as Swift was not originally intended for in-space maintenance.
LINK resides within a rocket known as Pegasus XL, which is attached to a modified L-1011 aircraft named Stargazer.
Later this month, Stargazer will depart from Kwajalein Atoll, located in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. If all unfolds as planned, the aircraft will release the rocket, propelling it into the atmosphere to intercept the satellite.
Following this, LINK will seize Swift using its lobster-like claws on three robotic arms and provide the satellite with a nudge, as described by Cenko.
The entire operation is anticipated to last approximately two months.
Advancing in-space maintenance
If the Swift enhancement mission succeeds, it will mark a crucial advancement in the realm of in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing, as outlined by Mason Peck, a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor at Cornell University in New York.
“From elevating orbits today to potential tasks like refueling, component replacements, assembling large telescopes, and supporting commercial infrastructure between Earth and the moon in the future,” Peck articulated via