NASA is attempting what it calls a first-of-its-kind rescue of one of its own space telescopes, sending a commercial robotic spacecraft to grapple the aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and raise it into a higher orbit before atmospheric drag pulls it low enough to reenter and break apart, according to NASA and Space.com. An initial launch attempt on July 2 was scrubbed because of a problem with the launch vehicle, Space.com reported.
The rescuer, a spacecraft named LINK built by Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona, is due to lift off from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, which is released in mid-air from a carrier aircraft, according to NASA and Astronomy Magazine. NASA awarded Katalyst a roughly $30 million contract in September 2025 to build LINK and reach Swift in under a year, Astronomy reported.
Once in orbit, LINK is designed to rendezvous with Swift, grapple it using robotic arms, and slowly raise its altitude over several months, NASA said. Astronomy Magazine reported the spacecraft uses LiDAR-guided arms to grip Swift's structure without disturbing its instruments, then fires xenon-powered ion thrusters to lift the orbit.
Why Swift is falling
Launched in 2004, Swift is a gamma-ray observatory built to swivel quickly toward sudden cosmic events such as gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars, a capability that earned it the nickname "NASA's first responder," according to CBS News. The roughly 1.6-ton telescope has been losing altitude faster than expected because intense solar activity has thickened the upper atmosphere and increased drag, CBS and Space.com reported.
NASA predictions made in 2025 gave Swift a 50% chance of reentering the atmosphere around the middle of 2026 and a 90% chance by the end of the year, according to Space.com. To slow the descent, controllers turned off the telescope's science instruments in February, CBS News reported. Katalyst aims to raise Swift back toward its original altitude of roughly 373 miles (about 600 kilometers).
Why the mission is a milestone
The attempt is notable because Swift was never designed to be serviced in space and is uncrewed, making it a harder target than satellites built with docking in mind. It would be "the first American space robot to go up and do anything like this," Katalyst chief executive Ghonhee Lee said, according to CBS News; only China has previously carried out a comparable satellite-boosting operation, CBS reported. "No one thought it was going to be possible," Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA's acting astrophysics director, told CBS News.
What to watch
The near-term question is whether the rocket issue can be resolved in time to launch within Swift's shrinking window, given the projected reentry risk later this year. Beyond Swift itself, NASA and analysts cited by Space.com say a successful capture could help validate in-space servicing and salvage as a way to extend the lives of existing satellites, potentially reshaping how agencies and companies plan for aging spacecraft. If LINK fails to reach and stabilize Swift in time, the telescope is expected to reenter and be destroyed.