NASA’s effort to save the aging Swift observatory has run into an unexpected complication. The agency says the robotic spacecraft LINK, launched in early July to rendezvous with Swift and raise it to a higher orbit, experienced attitude-control problems last weekend and began spinning in space, leading to intermittent communications.
LINK was developed by Arizona-based Katalyst Space and was intended to dock with Swift and help move the observatory into a safer orbit so it could keep gathering scientific data for several more years. The mission is urgent because Swift has been losing altitude faster than expected. According to NASA, increased atmospheric drag tied to stronger solar activity over the past couple of years has accelerated the observatory’s descent, and testing suggests it could re-enter Earth’s atmosphere sometime this year unless action is taken.
NASA said two of LINK’s three reaction wheels are currently not functioning, and part of its cold gas thruster system has also lost capability. Communication with the spacecraft is still available, and the team plans to use its electric propulsion thrusters to stop the spin over the coming days. After that, mission controllers will need to restore guidance and navigation for the spacecraft’s new configuration before NASA and Katalyst can decide whether the rescue can proceed as planned.
Even with the setback, Katalyst says it still believes the mission can succeed. The company said the mission remains active and that LINK still has a viable path to reach Swift, though the plan will need to be adjusted based on the spacecraft’s condition.
Source: engadget.com
