Rescue Attempt Underway After Private Space Tug Began Spinning En Route To NASA Telescope

Katalyst Space says teams are using backup propulsion to steady its LINK vehicle, which started tumbling during commissioning before it could lift the aging Swift observatory to a higher orbit; NASA will assess whether the operation can carry on.

Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft, built to grapple the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and push it to a safer altitude, began rotating uncontrollably after commissioning problems, the company and NASA reported Tuesday. Engineers are working to regain attitude control with reserve systems while flight managers determine if the mission can continue.

The assignment marks the first time NASA has hired a commercial firm to extend the working life of one of its science telescopes rather than replace it. Swift, launched in 2004 and designed to swivel rapidly toward fleeting cosmic explosions, has lost altitude and needs a boost to keep collecting data.

LINK rode aloft July 3 under a Pegasus rocket from Northrop Grumman and spent recent weeks activating its instruments and guidance gear. During final checks over the weekend operators noticed the vehicle began spinning, which disrupted communications when the high-gain antenna periodically pointed away from Earth. Two of the three reaction wheels used to stabilize the spacecraft are reported inoperative, and engineers have flagged an issue with one of the thruster assemblies.

Flight controllers have switched to a redundant set of thrusters and initiated a series of burns intended to slow the rotation. “We’ve already begun those maneuvers and are seeing the vehicle’s spin rate decline,” a Katalyst mission official said. NASA confirmed the agency is monitoring the recovery effort and will evaluate mission viability once LINK is stable.

An orbital dynamics specialist not involved with the flight cautioned that regaining control of a spinning satellite can be tricky, particularly when attitude sensors and communication windows are intermittent. But the expert added that redundant propulsion and careful burn planning can often arrest a tumble if fuel margins allow.

Katalyst principal investigator Kieran Wilson told reporters before launch that the spacecraft’s design and build had been accelerated because Swift must be raised in the coming months. The company, which closed a $12 million funding round in June led by Fortitude Ventures and Geodesic Capital, has also attracted Department of Defense interest in on-orbit servicing and inspection capabilities. Katalyst says the mission remains active and it plans to continue toward a rendezvous with Swift if LINK can be stabilized.