NASA launched an emergency mission to stop the Swift Observatory from crashing to Earth


The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004, but recent solar storms have pushed its orbit lower, and it’s in danger of burning up in Earth’s atmosphere as soon as this year. To try and stave off its demise, NASA has enlisted Katalyst Space Technologies. The company’s Link spacecraft launched Friday with the goal of intercepting Swift, which has no propulsion system, and boosting its orbit back to its original position. Right now, Swift is circling at an altitude of 224 miles, and Link is aiming to raise that by about 150 miles.

Using a three-armed spacecraft to lift a satellite 150 miles higher into orbit is challenging enough, but the speed with which Katalyst pulled the mission together makes it even more impressive. NASA required the company to rush the job because Swift would be too low to save by October. $30 million and nine months later, help is on the way for the $500 million Swift.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Samsung’s $700 Galaxy S26 FE Gets the Camera Features I’d Like to See for Less Money

    Skip to content Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a…

    Samsung’s Galaxy S26 FE pairs last year’s hardware with last month’s software

    The Fan Edition phones are rarely Samsung’s most exciting launches of the year, but the new Galaxy S26 FE feels especially familiar. Hardware-wise, little has changed since the S25 FE…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Samsung’s $700 Galaxy S26 FE Gets the Camera Features I’d Like to See for Less Money

    Samsung’s $700 Galaxy S26 FE Gets the Camera Features I’d Like to See for Less Money

    Harry and Meghan arrive for ‘extended’ stay in the U.K. six years after royal exit

    Harry and Meghan arrive for ‘extended’ stay in the U.K. six years after royal exit

    Air India A320neo Lost Critical Flight Controls For 4 Seconds In 300ft Plunge, Airbus Says

    Air India A320neo Lost Critical Flight Controls For 4 Seconds In 300ft Plunge, Airbus Says

    Exodus will likely win the Mass Effect spiritual successor war, thanks partly to its Cool Octopus, but I think it has a boring hero problem

    Exodus will likely win the Mass Effect spiritual successor war, thanks partly to its Cool Octopus, but I think it has a boring hero problem

    Toms Launches Tennis Inspired Alpargata Slip-on Shoe, Release Date

    Toms Launches Tennis Inspired Alpargata Slip-on Shoe, Release Date

    Canada Gazette – Part I, May 22, 2021, Vol. 155, No. 21