NASA Deploys Rescue Mission to Restore Swift Space Telescope

LINK is a three‑armed robotic spacecraft, roughly the size of a refrigerator, equipped with a suite of cameras, guidance systems, and miniature thrusters.

After its launch on Friday, LINK will gradually power up its systems over the next few weeks—starting with power, navigation, the camera and sensor array—verifying each component’s integrity following the launch burn.

Although the Pegasus XL launcher positioned LINK close to Swift’s orbit, the telescope’s altitude is slowly drifting, necessitating further rendezvous maneuvers.

LINK will track the moving target, and within about three to four weeks is expected to enter an orbital phasing that allows a side‑by‑side approach.

Using its cameras, LINK will capture the telescope from multiple angles to determine where it can establish a secure grasp, even though Swift’s structure has evolved over its 20 years in orbit.

Because Swift was never designed for capture in orbit, the rescue craft will approach at a very slow pace before securing itself.

The moment of capture will be critical as LINK deploys its robotic arms to latch onto Swift.

If the first stages succeed, LINK will secure Swift and commence raising its orbit.

“LINK willRio fire its engines to raise Swift’s orbit gradually, restoring it to a stable altitude,” said Barber.

It will be a very slow, graceful lift, not a sudden boost to a higher orbit.

Over the next two to three months, LINK will execute a series of small‑thruster firings to gently boost the combined spacecraft from approximately 360 km to Swift’s nominal 600 km orbit.

The mission represents an unprecedented achievement; success will hinge on a perfectly executed sequence of complex operations.

If successful, it could open the door to similar operations for other aging observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Further updates will be provided as the mission progresses.

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