Startup Katalyst Races to Rescue NASA’s Swift Telescope from Orbital Decay
WASHINGTON D.C. – A critical NASA space telescope,the Swift Observatory,is rapidly losing altitude and faces an uncontrolled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere as early as the end of 2024,prompting a daring rescue mission spearheaded by the private aerospace company Katalyst space Technologies. Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts – the most powerful explosions in the universe - Swift’s orbit is decaying faster than anticipated due to increased atmospheric drag caused by recent spikes in solar activity.
For two decades, Swift has provided invaluable data to astronomers, observing these cataclysmic events. Though, like all satellites in low-Earth orbit, it’s subject to gradual altitude loss. Recent heightened solar activity has dramatically accelerated this process. Katalyst estimates Swift has a 50% chance of uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026, and a concerning 90% chance by the end of next year. While the spacecraft is designed to burn up completely during reentry, posing no threat to people or property, NASA and Katalyst are working to avert its demise.
The aspiring rescue plan centers around a robotic “space tug” called LINK, to be launched aboard northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket. Pegasus is a unique air-launched system, dropped from a carrier aircraft at 40,000 feet (12,000 meters) before igniting its rocket motors to reach orbit. This will be Pegasus’s first flight since 2021, marking a significant comeback for the historically reliable launch vehicle.
“Pegasus is the only system that can meet the orbit,timeline,and budget simultaneously,” according to Northrop Grumman.
The choice of Pegasus isn’t accidental. Swift orbits at a 20.6-degree inclination specifically to avoid the South Atlantic Anomaly - a region of weakened magnetic field that exposes satellites to increased radiation. Launching from traditional ground sites like Cape Canaveral or Vandenberg would require considerable propellant to achieve this orbital plane. Pegasus’s air-launch capability bypasses this challenge.
Once in orbit, LINK will perform a series of precise maneuvers to approach Swift. The challenge lies in the fact that Swift wasn’t designed for servicing; it lacks docking ports or grappling fixtures. Katalyst has developed a custom-built robotic capture mechanism to attach to a feature on the satellite’s exterior and carefully adjust its orbit, effectively “reboosting” it to a safer altitude.
“Being able to execute a rapid response to orbital decay would be a key asset to the agency, helping it better maintain its fleet of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit,” explained Kieran Wilson, Vice President of Technology at Katalyst, to SpaceNews.
If successful,this mission will not only extend the life of a valuable scientific instrument but also demonstrate a crucial new capability for NASA – the ability to proactively address orbital decay and maintain its constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. The mission represents a growing trend of on-orbit servicing,repair,and life extension,potentially revolutionizing how space infrastructure is managed in the future.
