NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a crucial space observatory, is falling to Earth due to atmospheric drag intensified by solar activity. The observatory has been in low-Earth orbit for nearly 22 years, serving as NASA’s first responder in space when celestial objects flare with activity.
Rescue Mission
A daring mission to rescue the observatory has encountered issues of its own. The robotic satellite, named LINK, was launched on July 3 to rendezvous with the observatory and boost its orbit. However, LINK began to spin in space around July 25, causing a temporary loss of communications.
The mission team has curbed the spacecraft’s spin rate, and LINK will maintain this rotation speed while the team prepares for its next steps. The team plans to send a flight software update that will restore LINK’s orientation in space and allow for the maneuvers necessary to align the satellite’s orbit with that of the observatory.
The original plan included a survey of the observatory, which is now expected to happen a month later than initially planned. After securing the observatory in its grasp, LINK will carefully fire its three ion thrusters, aiming to boost the observatory back to its original orbit over the course of two to three months.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
