NASA squeezed Treasury, vibe coded, and broke the mold in bid to save Swift

In a valiant effort to preserve the $500 million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from descending into Earth's atmosphere, NASA and its partners embarked on a complex rescue mission. However, despite the intricate maneuvers required to make the operation feasible, the attempt ultimately proved unsuccessful, as reported by government and commercial space officials.

The rescue endeavor was spearheaded by Katalyst Space Technologies, who were contracted by NASA for a sum of $30 million in September of the previous year. Katalyst was granted a nine-month window to construct and launch a satellite, aptly named Link, that would rendezvous with Swift orbiting approximately 200 miles above the Earth's surface, and propulse it into a higher orbit.

Link was successfully launched on July 3, beginning a series of initial checks following its deployment. However, a few weeks later, a malfunction rendered Link uncontrollable, causing it to spin out of its intended course. NASA subsequently notified the public in August that Link was incapable of maneuvering Swift into the desired orbit, leading to the premature termination of the rescue mission.