Swift spacecraft, and a mission to save it, caught on video
The Swift space telescope is falling back to Earth. The LINK spacecraft is trying to save it. See both in orbit in a new video. The post Swift spacecraft, and a mission to save it, caught on video first appeared on EarthSky .
On August 10, 2026, at approximately 8:02–8:03 p.m. AST, the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe in Añasco, Puerto Rico, recorded a video of two spacecraft in low Earth orbit – the experimental commercial robotic repair vehicle LINK and NASA’s Swift spacecraft. LINK, initially designed to boost Swift to a higher orbit and prevent its demise by the end of 2026, had been trailing Swift by about a minute.
Both spacecraft now appear to share the same (or a similar) trajectory, which is favorable news. LINK, intended to save Swift, was built by Katalyst Space and launched on July 3, 2026. However, three weeks into the mission, two of LINK’s three reaction wheels malfunctioned, causing it to spin uncontrollably and leading to intermittent communication.
Despite this setback, there is hope. On August 11, NASA announced that a software update had been uploaded to LINK, improving its stability using the remaining actuators. Recent amateur observations, including a video captured by the Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe, confirm that both LINK and Swift are now in the same orbit. This video, taken at 8:02–8:03 p.m. AST on August 10, shows LINK slightly ahead of Swift.
As Swift’s orbit decays due to atmospheric drag, it could burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year. However, with the successful LINK mission, Swift’s rescue and extended life are now on track.
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