Commercial Spacecraft for NASA’s Swift Boost Continues Tech Demo
This week, Katalyst Space conducted in-space tests and maneuvers to exercise the capabilities of its robotic servicing spacecraft, LINK. The post Commercial Spacecraft for NASA’s Swift Boost Continues Tech Demo appeared first on NASA Science .
Katalyst Space's LINK robotic servicing spacecraft has been conducting in-space tests and maneuvers to demonstrate the capabilities of its technology, as part of a scaled-back mission to boost NASA's Swift Observatory. The mission was halted due to attitude control issues with LINK, but the team has continued to showcase various functions of the spacecraft.
Over the past few days, LINK successfully raised its orbit and aligned itself with Swift's orbit, deploying all three of its robotic arms and firing all three electric propulsion thrusters simultaneously. The spacecraft came within 7.5 to 9 miles of Swift, and the team estimates it will deorbit after another 2 to 3 weeks.
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