Spacecraft Sent to Rescue NASA Telescope Is Having Its Own Issues - Gizmodo

What the report says

Gizmodo reported that Katalyst Space Technologies’ LINK robotic servicing spacecraft, intended to help rescue NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, is now facing problems of its own in orbit. According to the report, NASA said LINK developed attitude-control issues over the weekend, causing the spacecraft to tumble and making communications intermittent. Katalyst and NASA are working to regain stable control.

LINK launched July 3 from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific, carried by a converted Lockheed L-1011 aircraft and then placed into space using a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. Gizmodo noted that the early phase appeared promising, with solar arrays deployed and communications established, but NASA had already flagged an issue with one of the craft’s three reaction wheels. NASA later said preliminary findings indicate two reaction wheels are currently not working, alongside some reduced capability in the cold-gas thruster system.

The mission matters because LINK is meant to rendezvous with Swift and gently raise it into a safer orbit. Swift, launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts and other high-energy cosmic events, has been losing altitude because of atmospheric drag. NASA previously paused Swift’s science operations in an effort to preserve time for the servicing attempt.

Gizmodo reported that Katalyst remains in contact with LINK and is trying to use electric propulsion thrusters to stop the spin. The team also plans to adjust guidance, navigation and control systems for the spacecraft’s changed condition. NASA and Katalyst will then reassess whether a modified approach to Swift is feasible and safe.