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NASA, Katalyst call off SWIFT rescue mission over issues with rescue craft in space
NASA said the $30 million effort ended after Link lost control, leaving Swift to reenter the atmosphere later this year.
- On Wednesday, NASA called off the mission to rescue the sinking Swift Observatory, dooming the telescope to a fiery atmospheric reentry later this year.
- Katalyst Space Technologies' Link spacecraft entered an uncontrollable spin weeks after its July launch, with persistent pointing and positioning issues eventually forcing the mission's cancellation.
- NASA paid $30 million to Katalyst to raise the telescope to a safer orbit; Swift has tracked universe explosions for more than 20 years before this setback.
- Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee said "we have already learned a tremendous amount," and the company will keep Link in orbit near Swift to demonstrate future rescue capabilities.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the mission "worth attempting" despite the cancellation, while the 36-year-old Hubble Space Telescope also faces orbital decay from solar outbursts.
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NASA drops Swift Observatory rescue as Katalyst spacecraft loses control
NASA and Katalyst have abandoned the Swift Observatory rescue after Link lost control in orbit. The failed attempt leaves the veteran telescope heading for atmospheric re-entry and clouds similar plans for Hubble.
·Noida, India
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WTVB
WTVBNASA, Katalyst call off SWIFT rescue mission over issues with rescue craft in space
WASHINGTON, Aug 19 : A mission to rescue NASA's aging SWIFT observatory in space was canceled on Wednesday after the spacecraft that had been deployed to raise the telescope's orbit suffered irredeemable technical issues in orbit, the rescue craft's owner Katalyst Space said."Following continued monitoring an
·Singapore, Singapore
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The mission to save NASA's Swift Observatory was cancelled on Wednesday, which condemns the telescope to a fiery re-entry later this year.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources17
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Center
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources are Center
63% Center
L 25%
C 63%
12%
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