NASA's robotic rescue mission targets a space telescope plummeting to Earth
NASA plans a daring robotic rescue mission to prevent the Swift space telescope from burning up in the atmosphere. The $30 million operation has a 50-50 chance of success, according to project scientists.
NASA is set to launch a risky robotic rescue mission to save its aging Swift space telescope from destruction. Without intervention, the telescope is expected to soon burn up in Earth's atmosphere.
The mission will last several months. Initially, the rescue spacecraft developed by US startup Katalyst was scheduled to lift off Tuesday at 10:23 GMT from a Pacific Ocean atoll aboard a small rocket named Pegasus. However, NASA postponed the launch due to unfavorable weather, setting the next attempt for no earlier than Wednesday, July 1, at 09:43 GMT. The rocket will not launch from a pad but will be released from a jet.
After reaching an orbit near the telescope, the robot must locate Swift across the vastness of space. It will then maneuver around the telescope and latch on with three movable arms, aiming to tow Swift into a stable orbit by raising it about 300 kilometers higher. Only China has attempted a similar mission, successfully boosting a satellite into a graveyard orbit four years ago.
NASA astrophysicist Regina Caputo laughed, saying "Everything about this mission is so crazy," and estimated the chances of success at "maybe 50-50." Despite the odds, both NASA and Katalyst believe the mission — which could extend into the fall — is worthwhile and could pave the way for new possibilities in spacecraft servicing.
The Swift telescope was launched in 2004 and was originally designed for a two-year mission. It studies gamma-ray bursts, described by Caputo as "the most energetic things that happen in the universe." The telescope orbits at about 600 kilometers altitude, allowing constant communication but also causing it to gradually drift closer to Earth due to atmospheric drag. The rescue mission costs $30 million to save the $250 million telescope.
Robert Lamontagne, a vice president at Katalyst, said during a call with journalists that this could represent the "start of a new model" to "refuel, reposition, repurpose, repair, and even upgrade satellites, even if they were never prepared for it."
