NASA Awards $30M Contract to Rescue Swift Observatory From Orbital Decay

NASA awarded startup Katalyst Space Technologies a $30 million contract in September to build a rescue satellite for the Swift observatory, a $500 million astronomy mission at risk of crashing to Earth. The agency asked three companies 10 months ago if they could design, build, and launch a satellite in under a year to save Swift, which has been detecting gamma-ray bursts since its November 2004 launch. Katalyst's solution involves a small spacecraft called Link that will use three robotic arms to latch onto Swift and boost its decaying orbit back to a safe altitude. The mission addresses Swift's lack of onboard thrusters, which has allowed atmospheric drag to pull the observatory from its original 363-mile altitude down to 225 miles as of Thursday, accelerating its path toward reentry.

Katalyst Designs Robotic Arm System for Swift Capture

Katalyst Space Technologies, a startup founded in 2020, presented what NASA's astrophysics division director Shawn Domagal-Goldman described as a technically and programmatically plausible response. The contract awarded in September requires Katalyst to build, test, and launch the Link servicing spacecraft within the compressed timeline. Link will chase down Swift in orbit and use three robotic arms to latch onto the observatory before executing orbital boost maneuvers.

Swift Observatory Altitude Decays to 225 Miles

The Swift observatory launched in November 2004 into an orbit roughly 363 miles above Earth to detect gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the known Universe. As of Thursday, Swift was flying at 225 miles altitude. The spacecraft lacks any thrusters to maintain its orbit, causing aerodynamic drag to gradually reduce its altitude. Astrophysicists continue to rely on Swift's multi-wavelength instruments to identify and locate gamma-ray bursts for follow-up observations by other observatories. The decay rate will increase as the spacecraft descends into denser atmospheric layers until Swift burns up during reentry without intervention.

FAQ

What is NASA's contract with Katalyst Space Technologies for? NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract in September to build a satellite called Link that will rescue the Swift observatory by using robotic arms to latch onto it and boost its decaying orbit back to a safe altitude.

Why does the Swift observatory need a rescue mission? Swift launched in November 2004 without onboard thrusters, and atmospheric drag has pulled it from its original 363-mile altitude down to 225 miles as of Thursday, putting the $500 million mission at risk of crashing to Earth.