NASA Swift rescue mission launches from Marshall Islands

NASA says the mission to raise the altitude of its Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is underway after LINK, a robotic servicing spacecraft built by Katalyst Space, launched Friday from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

NASA said LINK rode a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket deployed from the company’s Stargazer aircraft at about 40,000 feet, delivering the spacecraft to low Earth orbit. The agency says recent solar activity has increased atmospheric drag and caused Swift’s orbit to decay faster than expected.

The mission is not a completed rescue. NASA said Katalyst’s first step after orbit insertion is to acquire a signal from LINK and confirm its solar panels and power systems are working before any attempt to meet, grab, and lift Swift.

AP reported that Pegasus put LINK on course to reach and capture Swift in about a month and cited NASA’s $30 million contract for the rescue. BBC described the attempt as high-risk, noting LINK still has to wake up its systems, approach a moving telescope, and raise Swift’s orbit over the following weeks or months.

Sources: NASA Swift blog, AP, BBC