NASA's Swift Telescope Rescue Mission Threatened by Uncontrolled Spin of Link Satellite

Efforts to rescue NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory space telescope have encountered major obstacles after the rescue craft, named Link, experienced technical malfunctions while nearing its target. The incident occurred on Saturday (25/7), when Link was only a few miles from the Swift Observatory. The spacecraft, developed by Katalyst Space Technologies, suddenly began spinning uncontrollably, threatening the mission’s goal of raising the telescope’s orbit to prevent it from falling into Earth’s atmosphere.

Ghonhee Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Katalyst Space Technologies, admitted the situation is extremely serious, though he remains optimistic that engineers can continue the mission. During the malfunction, Link was observed rotating once approximately every 40 seconds. Technical teams are currently attempting to slow the rotation to restore normal control systems.

The Swift Observatory was launched by NASA in 200_4 to observe gamma-ray bursts. The telescope has been operating well beyond its intended design life, and its orbit has been decaying due to increased atmospheric drag caused by intense solar activity. In response, NASA sought a cost-effective, rapid-response rescue mission, leading to the contract award to Katalyst Space Technologies, which developed Link in just nine months.

NASA’s Director of the Astrophysics Division, Shawn Domagal-Goldman, noted that while the mission is highly challenging due to its unprecedented timeline, there are still pathways to achieve the orbital boost. The disruption was identified after Katalyst’s operations centre in Broomfield, Colorado, lost communication with Link for nearly a day. Upon regaining contact, the team discovered the uncontrolled spinning.

Lee suggested that a system restart during the communication blackout might have triggered the malfunction, noting that stopping the reaction wheels abruptly is not how the components are designed to operate. Inspections revealed that two of the three reaction wheels are no longer functioning, and the reaction control thrusters are behaving inconsistently. However, the team is attempting to reactivate these components, and if unsuccessful, they can use the craft’s electric propulsion system as an alternative. Due to these complications, the rendezvous with the Swift Observatory is expected to be delayed by approximately two weeks to late August.