For over 20 years, NASA has had the gamma-ray burst (GRB) satellite named Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which was launched in 2004. It observes the sky due to the flash of the high-energy light of the cosmic explosions, although its orbit is fast degrading toward uncontrolled reentry by 2026. NASA has engaged Katalyst Space Technologies in an exclusive rescue operation in order to salvage this science platform. The loss of Swift would cause a hole in the observations of GRB.
Swift’s Mission and Orbit Decay
According to NASA, Swift has three telescopes, which are able to identify GRBs, the strongest explosions in the universe and transmit their positions to telescopes around the world. This design has rendered the Swift to revolutionize the transient astronomy in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, it decreases in altitude due to atmospheric drag gradually, descending, under the influence of atmospheric drag, from approximately 600 km to approximately 400 km above the earth without the presence of thrusters. Swift has a risk of being lost in the atmosphere by 2026, which will destroy the mission.
Pegasus Rocket and Katalyst’s Rescue Plan
Katalyst will send its robotic servicer to Swift aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, an air-launched booster dropped from a Stargazer aeroplane. Pegasus – first flown in 1990 – has conducted about 45 flights to low Earth orbit with a near-perfect success record, making it well suited to Swift’s unusual orbit.
In mid-2026, the spacecraft will rendezvous with Swift, inspect it, then use robotic arms to grasp the telescope and boost it back to a higher orbit. Beyond saving Swift, this mission demonstrates Katalyst’s broader vision.
