NASA has launched another historic mission. But this time, the space agency is not working to discover something new, rather, it wants to fix an old satellite. NASA and Arizona-based startup Katalyst Space Technologies have launched a robotic spacecraft called LINK to rescue the aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, as per Reuters. The spacecraft lifted off over the Pacific Ocean last week aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket. It will travel to the satellite, grab it with robotic arms and move it to higher orbit, helping it stay in space for several more years.
Why Swift Observatory Needs Help
The Swift Observatory has been studying black holes, distant galaxies and powerful cosmic explosions since 2004. But it has one major problem, it does not have its own engines to raise its orbit.
Over time, Earth’s thin atmosphere creates drag, slowly pulling the satellite closer to the planet. Without this rescue mission, the Swift satellite would likely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up later.
LINK will spend about a month traveling towards Swift after reaching orbit. Once it gets close, the spacecraft will slowly move towards the satellite using cameras, sensors and thrusters. It will then use three robotic arms with hand-like grippers to gently grab the observatory.
After securing the satellite, LINK will use its own engines to move Swift to an orbit about 600 km above Earth. This part of the mission is expected to take around 60 days.
LINK will also carry out more tests by flying close to Swift to show how the technology can be used in future missions.
This mission is not only about saving an old satellite. It is also a test of a new technology that may help repair, move or extend the lives of other satellites in the future.
“The US Space Command cares a lot about this, because ultimately this is a core element of space superiority. A normal mission like this might have taken five years to put together, and we did it in under a year,” Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee told Reuters.
