SPACE EXPLORATIONROCKETS
Published:July 4, 2026
Affected Company:NASA / Katalyst Space Technologies
NASA Launches Emergency Mission to Save Swift Observatory From Reentry
Katalyst Space Technologies launched its Link spacecraft to intercept the aging Swift Observatory and boost its decaying orbit before it burns up in the atmosphere.
Solar storms have pushed the propulsion-less Swift Observatory into a dangerously low orbit, threatening reentry as soon as this year. NASA fast-tracked a rescue with Katalyst Space Technologies, whose three-armed Link spacecraft launched Friday to raise Swift's altitude by roughly 150 miles.
The $30 million mission was assembled in just nine months to save the $500 million observatory, which has been vital for studying gamma-ray bursts since 2004.