Engineers have regained control of the LINK spacecraft, which is tasked with boosting the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher orbit to prevent atmospheric reentry.

The US company Katalyst Space has successfully stabilized its LINK spacecraft after it began tumbling in orbit. The spacecraft, which was launched on July 3, is designed to boost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher altitude to prevent it from re-entering Earth's atmosphere. Following a successful software update, the company is now preparing to conduct maneuvers to align the spacecraft with the telescope.

The mission to save Swift

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a $500 million telescope launched in 2004, is used to study gamma-ray bursts and other short-lived astronomical events. Because the telescope's orbit has decayed from 600 kilometers to less than 350 kilometers due to atmospheric drag, NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract in September 2025 to attempt an orbital boost. If the mission fails, the telescope is expected to re-enter the atmosphere by Christmas or Easter 2027 at the latest. To mitigate drag, the telescope has been operating in "superman mode" since February, with its solar panels positioned flat to reduce resistance. While this maneuver has saved approximately 17 kilometers in altitude, it has prevented the telescope from conducting scientific observations.

Addressing the stabilization issue

In late July, the LINK spacecraft began tumbling once every 40 seconds for unknown reasons. Over the following two weeks, engineers utilized the spacecraft's thrusters and reaction wheels to stabilize the craft. On August 11, Katalyst announced that a flight software update had successfully brought the spacecraft back under control. Katalyst is now planning a series of maneuvers to adjust the orbit of LINK relative to Swift. Once aligned, the spacecraft will use its three robotic arms to grab the telescope and use its thrusters to raise the orbit over a period of approximately three months. The mission must be completed before the telescope drops to 300 kilometers, at which point the atmospheric drag would make a boost attempt impossible.