NASA called off a private mission to save the Swift gamma-ray observatory on 19 August 2026 after the LINK probe encountered control system problems. The telescope will plunge into Earth's atmosphere and burn up later in 2026.
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Rescue mission is called off for NASA’s aging Swift space telescope apnews.com
The mission to save NASA's sinking space telescope has been called off.
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Rescue mission for aging NASA space telescope fails Reuters
NASA and Katalyst Space said on Aug. 19 that Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher orbit because of an ongoing attitude-control problem, ending the central objective of a commercial rescue attempt for the aging space telescope [nasa.gov#1][spacenews.com#1][satellitetoday.com#1][space.com#1]. NASA said Swift, which has spent more than
WASHINGTON, Aug 19 - A mission to rescue NASA's aging Swift observatory in space was canceled on Wednesday after the spacecraft that was launched to tug the satellite to a higher orbit suffered irredeemable technical issues in space, the rescue craft's owner, Katalyst Space, said.
Private mission to save NASA's Swift space telescope fails ->Space | More on "Private spacecraft fails Swift Observatory rescue" at BigEarthData.ai | #NASA #JWST #SpaceTelescope NASA is calling off the effort to save its Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after a private rescue spacecraft couldn't overcome its own problems in orbit. LINK, the specialized probe from Katalyst Space that NASA contracted
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The mission to save NASA's sinking space telescope has been called off, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.
NASA had hoped to prevent its Swift observatory from breaking apart in Earth’s atmosphere. But the spacecraft tasked with the rescue hit problems.
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NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies said Aug. 19 that Katalyst's LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher orbit because of a persistent attitude-control problem, ending the planned reboost of the aging space telescope [nasa.gov#1][arstechnica.com#1][spacenews.com#1][abcnews.com#1]. Swift, which has spent more than 20 years studying gamma-ray burs
A mission to rescue Nasa’s ageing Swift observatory in space was cancelled on Wednesday after the spacecraft that was launched to tug the satellite to a higher orbit suffered irredeemable technical issues in space, the rescue craft’s owner, Katalyst Space, said. Katalyst’s Link craft was launched in early July to approach the observatory, also known as Swift, some 347km (216 miles) in space, gra
Mission to save NASA's Swift space telescope is called off | AP News https:// apnews.com/article/swift-teles cope-nasa-satellite-rescue-800bfbe5aaba5fec9aadd20bdcc138a5
NASA said on Wednesday a $30 million mission to save its Swift space telescope had failed after the rescue spacecraft could not be controlled. The unprecedented effort aimed to use a robot to move Swift into a higher orbit. The satellite is now expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year.
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies ended a plan to capture and reboost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory because Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft continued to have attitude-control problems, ruling out a docking attempt with the aging space telescope [spacewatch.global#1][phys.org#1][newscientist.com#1][engadget.com#1][arstechnica.com#1][theregister.com#1]. Swift, which has no onboard propulsion, is
#NASA ’s rescue mission for the #Swift space telescope has failed #Science #Space The space agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which studied cataclysmic cosmic explosions, is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year
Rescue Mission Is Called Off For NASA's Aging Swift Space Telescope https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/08/19/2213259/rescue-mission-is-called-off-for-nasas-aging-swift-space-telescope NASA has called off a $30 million mission to rescue its aging Swift space telescope after Katalyst Space's Link spacecraft developed persistent control and positioning problems. The Associated Press reports: Katal
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have canceled the mission to rescue the Swift gamma-ray telescope due to attitude control issues with the rescue satellite, Link. The Link satellite will attempt to demonstrate its close-in navigation system instead. #space #News NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have canceled the mission to rescue the Swift gamma-ray telesco...
www.engadget.com/2240611/nasa... The Swift observatory is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere this year, because NASA has aborted its rescue mission.
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies abandoned the central goal of a $30 million mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft developed persistent attitude-control problems that prevented it from safely capturing the telescope and raising its orbit [livescience.com#1][newscientist.com#1][phys.org#1][slashdot.org#1][arabtimesonline.com#1][arstechnica.com#1]. N
Plans to rescue NASA's Swift Observatory satellite from falling into Earth's atmosphere are seemingly dead in the water. The agency and Katalyst Space announced yesterday that the Link spacecraft will no longer capture or boost the Swift telescope to a higher altitude due to an ongoing "attitude control issue," but will instead conduct rendezvous and […]
NASA calls off mission to save Swift Observatory telescope in space https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/08/20/nasa-katalyst-space-link-swift-observatory-mission/5951787238178/ NASA and Katalyst Space have announced that the plan to boost the altitude of a Swift Observatory space telescope with the LINK spacecraft has failed.
A satellite called LINK that recently launched to boost the orbit of a falling space observatory won’t be able to carry out its daring rescue mission after all. A satellite launched to rescue NASA’s falling Swift Observatory won’t be able to complete its mission after all.
NASA is calling off a mission to save the Swift telescope, which is set to plunge into Earth's atmosphere and burn up later this year. CBS News' space consultant Bill Harwood chimes in.
NASA is pivoting from a mission to save the Swift telescope. CBS News' Bill Harwood explains why.
The LINK probe was supposed to use robotic arms to capture Swift and lift it into a safe orbit. Problems with its control system forced NASA to call off the attempt.
NASA calls off mission to rescue Swift gamma-ray observatory https:// arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/ nasa-calls-off-mission-to-rescue-swift-gamma-ray-observatory/