NASA launches robotic mission to save telescope falling back to Earth

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Briefing Summary

AI-generated

NEWSAR · AI

NASA has launched a robotic mission to save its aging Swift Observatory telescope from crashing back to Earth. The Link spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, was launched from the Marshall Islands on Friday via a Pegasus rocket. This unprecedented $30 million effort aims to capture the Swift telescope, which is sinking faster due to solar storms, and boost its orbit by approximately 300 kilometers. The mission involves the robot locating, circling, and docking with the telescope using three robotic arms, followed by a month-long operation to re-orbit it. If successful, this mission could enable future satellite rescues and extend the life of valuable space assets.

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Article analysis

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Key claims

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Swift, launched in 2004, studies gamma-ray bursts and is sinking faster due to recent solar storms.

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The mission aims to propel the Swift telescope approximately 300km higher to its initial orbital position.

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The Link spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, was launched by Northrop Grumman.

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NASA has launched a robotic mission to rescue the Swift Observatory from crashing back to Earth.

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The unprecedented $30m effort could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life.

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Full report

2 min read · 317 words

A three-armed spacecraft rockets into orbit to rescue a NASA telescope that’s in danger of crashing back to Earth.NASA has launched a robotic mission to try to prevent one of its ageing telescopes from burning up in the atmosphere in a complicated operation expected to last several months.Northrop Grumman launched the Link spacecraft – built by United States-based Katalyst Space Technologies – from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4NASA announces astronauts for Artemis III spaceflight, scheduled for 2027list 2 of 4Elon Musk’s SpaceX eyes $1.77tn valuation ahead of blockbuster IPOlist 3 of 4Prada plays a part in designing NASA’s lunar mission spacesuitslist 4 of 4NASA astronauts spacewalk to fix robotic armend of listA Pegasus rocket blasted off from the belly of a modified aircraft putting Link on course to reach and capture NASA’s Swift Observatory in about a month.Initially scheduled for Tuesday, the robot’s launch was postponed due to weather, then technical issues. Blast-off happened on Friday at 0836 GMT from an atoll in the Pacific Ocean.The unprecedented $30m effort involves sending a robot to rescue the Swift space telescope that is falling towards Earth. If successful, the mission could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life.Launched in 2004, Swift is sinking faster than ever because of recent solar storms. The $250m telescope studies gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.Once it reaches an orbit close to Swift’s, the robot will deploy its solar panels and perform a series of checks.It will then have to locate the Swift telescope in the vastness of space, circle around it and dock using three robotic arms – manoeuvres expected to take several weeks.Finally, it will attempt to propel the satellite approximately 300km (186 miles) higher above the Earth, roughly to its initial orbital position. That operation is expected to last at least a month.

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