NASA’s Swift Telescope Rescue Mission Fails, Spacecraft Destined for Controlled Reentry

A NASA-led initiative to rescue a satellite from atmospheric burnout ended in failure Wednesday, as the control spacecraft proved unmanageable.

The Swift space telescope, designed to study the universe’s most energetic phenomena, is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year.

The $30 million mission aimed to deploy a robotic spacecraft to capture the telescope and relocate it to a higher orbit.

“This was not the outcome we sought, but it does not diminish the mission’s value,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

“The team worked with exceptional urgency to give Swift a continued science window while advancing the satellite servicing capabilities America will require,” Isaacman added.

The unmanned rescue craft, built by American startup Katalyst, launched on July 3 aboard a Pegasus rocket deployed from an aircraft.

Katalyst reported on July 28 that the spacecraft had been spiraling out of control for 72 hours, suffering multiple failures including communication loss.

Declaring the mission complete, Katalyst cited persistent attitude control problems as the reason for ending the endeavor alongside NASA.

NASA noted that the spacecraft would still endeavor to intercept Swift, providing valuable data for upcoming satellite rescue missions.

Originally launched in 2004, Swift has been instrumental in researching gamma-ray bursts.

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