NASA Deploys Daring Robotic Rescue Mission for Swift Space Telescope

On Tuesday, NASA launched a daring rescue mission in a long-shot attempt to save the aging Swift space telescope from destruction. The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory telescope, which was launched in 2004, was originally designed for a two-year mission. However, because the telescope is highly valued for studying brief gamma-ray bursts, scientists have continued using it. Unfortunately, since the telescope lacks its own propulsion, it has lost altitude and will soon burn up in the atmosphere. This descent is caused by solar activity, which expands the Earth's atmosphere and increases drag on low-altitude satellites. To prevent this fiery end, a robot named LINK was developed by the American startup company Katalyst. The robot was launched from a Pacific Ocean atoll at 1023 GMT aboard a Pegasus rocket, which was released from a jet plane. After reaching orbit, the robot must locate Swift in space and latch onto the back of the telescope using three movable arms. It will then attempt to tow the telescope 300 kilometers higher, which is a process expected to take a month. During an interview, Caputo laughed and remarked that everything about this spacecraft mission was crazy. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, who is the director of the astrophysics division at NASA, expressed gratitude for the rescue attempt. He noted that this operation involved a lot of firsts stacked on top of each other. The rescue mission is projected to cost 30 million dollars, whereas the original price of the telescope was 250 million dollars. Regina Caputo, a NASA astrophysicist, said that the probability of success was about 50-50. Nevertheless, NASA decided to fund the project because the telescope cannot be replaced immediately. If the mission succeeded, it would establish a new model for repairing, refueling, and upgrading satellites.