NASA Can't Rescue The Satellite That Was Going To Rescue Another Satellite After All

Key Points:

• NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have ended the attempt to use Katalyst's Link satellite to rescue NASA's Swift satellite, which has decayed from orbit and cannot be boosted back to a stable position.
• The Link satellite went into a rapid multi-axis spin after entering a communications blackout zone, likely due to faulty maneuvering thrusters, leading to loss of control and heavy fuel consumption to regain stability.
• Due to insufficient remaining fuel, the rescue mission to boost Swift back into orbit has been aborted, and Link will instead perform proximity maneuvers around Swift to gather data for future missions.
• Swift, launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere later this year, mostly burning up, with minimal risk to people on the ground.
• Despite the mission's failure, NASA and Katalyst view the effort as a valuable high-risk, high-reward test that advances commercial space capabilities and informs future satellite rescue or retirement strategies.