NASA's Swift rescue slips to late August as LINK battles its spin
Engineers make progress in stabilizing mission but push back the rendezvous date
Katalyst Space has announced that issues with its LINK spacecraft have pushed the rescue mission for NASA's Swift observatory to late August. The spacecraft, which was launched earlier this month, encountered problems during commissioning and has been spinning since the weekend. Engineers have used a thruster to reduce LINK's rotation rate from 9 degrees per second to around 4 degrees per second, with further adjustments planned.
The team is also developing a new attitude controller to accommodate the spacecraft's reduced capabilities. Engineers are assessing which systems continue to function and testing their revised plans in a simulator before attempting them in orbit. The rendezvous attempt is now targeted for the end of August, with success depending on stabilizing LINK and restoring core system functionality.
Swift is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in the coming months, having exceeded its primary mission life. The rescue mission could extend Swift's operational lifespan. Katalyst and NASA are working to finalize plans and ensure a successful rescue before Swift descends too low for practical recovery.
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- NASA's Swift rescue slips to late August as LINK battles its spin theregister.com
- Here's how engineers plan to save the satellite sent to save NASA's Swift mission arstechnica.com
