NASA aborts Swift rescue after Link loses control

The failed attempt ends a rapid, $30 million effort to extend the observatory’s life from low Earth orbit.

NASA’s effort to keep the $500 million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from slipping out of orbit did not succeed, but the mission is notable for how quickly it was assembled and what that says about faster procurement and spacecraft development. Katalyst Space Technologies built the rescue craft, Link, under a $30 million NASA contract awarded last September and was given nine months to design and launch it so it could rendezvous with Swift about 200 miles above Earth and raise the observatory’s orbit. Link launched on July 3 and cleared some early checkouts, but a later failure sent it tumbling out of control a few weeks afterward. NASA said in August that Link could no longer reach Swift, ending the rescue attempt.