Private Spacecraft Launches to Rescue Aging NASA Satellite Swift
The mission is a real-world demonstration of commercial on-orbit servicing, potentially extending the life of a $500 million satellite at a fraction of replacement cost.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
NASA's Swift space telescope, launched in 2004, faced re-entry this summer due to orbital decay from increased solar activity. In September 2025, NASA awarded Katalyst Space a $30 million contract to build and launch a robotic spacecraft. LINK launched on July 3, 2026, and will spend weeks checking systems before attempting to capture Swift with robotic arms and raise its orbit to 600 km, a process expected to take about 60 days if successful. The mission is a test of commercial on-orbit servicing.
The Pegasus XL rocket, air-launched from a modified L-1011 aircraft over the Pacific, carried the LINK spacecraft into orbit on July 3. The mission, dubbed a 'space version of roadside assistance' by Katalyst, aims to rendezvous with the Swift satellite, which has been observing gamma-ray bursts since 2004. Swift's orbit has decayed faster than expected due to increased solar activity, and without intervention it would re-enter the atmosphere this summer. LINK will spend several weeks checking its systems before approaching Swift, examining the 21-year-old satellite, and using three robotic arms to capture it. If capture succeeds, raising Swift to a 600 km orbit will take about 60 days. The contract, awarded in September 2025, required Katalyst to design, build, test, and launch LINK in under a year.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.