Space threat: NASA telescope rapidly approaching Earth

A space telescope is headed to Earth. For more than 20 years, Swift has studied gamma-ray bursts, some of the most powerful explosions in the universe since the Big Bang. But now its orbit is rapidly decreasing: the telescope has dropped from 600 km above Earth to 400 km and is at risk of falling to the planet by the end of 2026. NASA is forced to act to save the half-billion-dollar observatory.

Space writes about this.

To do this, the agency is preparing a historic rescue mission. A special vehicle from Katalyst Space Technologies, weighing 350 kg and measuring 1.5 meters, will lift Swift to a safe altitude of 600 km. Preparations are already underway: the device will be launched into orbit by a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, which will be dropped from an L-1011 Stargazer aircraft at an altitude of about 12,000 meters. The cost of the mission is estimated at $ 30 million.

After reaching orbit, the spacecraft will approach the telescope within two to three weeks and grab it with three robotic arms. Swift will then be moved to an orbit similar to its original location, allowing the observatory to continue its scientific work for about 20 more years.

The challenge with the mission is that Swift is not designed for servicing in space. If NASA succeeds, it will be the first time a private spacecraft has been used to service a U.S. government space observatory. Previously, such work was only performed by NASA astronauts with the Hubble Space Telescope between 1993 and 2009, when they repeatedly upgraded and repaired it directly in space.

The rescue mission is scheduled to launch in June 2026. If all goes according to plan, Swift will continue observing the Universe for another two decades, and the mission itself will be historic for space exploration.

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