A commercial mission to boost NASA\u2019s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory concluded without raising the spacecraft\u2019s orbit, but the agency and industry vendor Katalyst Space have gained valuable experience that will benefit future in-space servicing programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the beginning, this was a high-risk, high-reward mission,\u201d said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Astrophysics Division<\/a> director at NASA Headquarters<\/a> in Washington. \u201cWithout intervention, Swift was going to re-enter the atmosphere by year\u2019s end. And while we\u2019ll be sad to see Swift\u2019s mission come to a close, we knew this boost effort would be valuable to the agency on multiple levels \u2014 advancing U.S. spacecraft servicing technology, challenging us to meet unprecedented mission timelines, and testing how we operate satellites to extend their time in low Earth orbit. We\u2019re very proud of how quickly this team got so far, and we\u2019re capturing lessons learned to ensure we\u2019re ready to go even farther.\u201d<\/p>\n Swift, which launched in November 2004, was designed to study gamma-ray bursts<\/a>, the most powerful explosions in the cosmos.<\/p>\n Over the last two decades, the observatory has revolutionized<\/a> our understanding of how the universe works, from studying comets<\/a> and asteroids in our own solar system and\u00a0various types of cosmic explosions<\/a> to flares from black holes<\/a> in distant galaxies.<\/p>\n All spacecraft in low Earth orbit experience drag from our planet\u2019s atmosphere. If they don\u2019t have propulsion systems, this drag gradually reduces their altitudes. A period<\/a> of increased solar activity magnified this effect on Swift<\/a>.<\/p>\n After deciding to investigate the potential for a boost attempt, NASA had only a few months to issue a call for proposals through its Center of Excellence for Collaborative Engineering<\/a> and fund design concept studies through the agency\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research<\/a> program.<\/p>\n In September 2025, NASA contracted Katalyst, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, to attempt the mission. The company had around one year to design, build, test, and launch a satellite that would then meet, grab, and lift Swift.<\/p>\n The LINK<\/a> spacecraft took off<\/a> from Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in July aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL<\/a> rocket. Katalyst selected the Pegasus as the best launch option for reaching the observatory on the mission\u2019s condensed timeline, based on the mission\u2019s orbital and programmatic needs.<\/p>\n After successfully reaching space and performing initial spacecraft checkouts, LINK began experiencing intermittent communications losses and developed issues with its orientation control<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following a period of around-the-clock troubleshooting from both teams, NASA and Katalyst agreed to scale back<\/a> the mission. LINK would no longer attempt to grab or boost Swift but instead attempt to perform a series of technology demonstrations that would advance the capabilities of the U.S. commercial servicing industry.<\/p>\n These included exercising the spacecraft\u2019s xenon-powered propulsion system and three robotic arms, which were designed to provide flexibility regarding where LINK could safely grapple Swift. NASA formally concluded the agency\u2019s involvement in LINK\u2019s mission on Sept. 3. The spacecraft re-entered<\/a> the atmosphere on Sept. 25.<\/p>\n \u201cLINK was built to take on a problem that did not have an easy solution,\u201d said Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space. “This was an ambitious mission on an aggressive timeline. While we did not accomplish every objective we set out to achieve, in less than a year we went from mission concept to launching and operating the first commercial space robot. This is a foundation we can build on.\u201d<\/p>\n Science missions like Swift take years to develop and then operate in orbit for decades. For the Swift boost, however, the most important factor was the timeline. All decision-making and risk acceptance hinged on predictions showing the observatory sinking to the point of no return \u2014 an altitude of around 185 miles (300 kilometers) \u2014 in fall 2026. As such, the boost mission required a new form of agile project management for NASA.<\/p>\n Swift team members in SSMO (Space Science Mission Operations)<\/a> at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a> in Greenbelt, Maryland, worked with Katalyst to develop milestones and approval processes that gave the mission the best chance of success while being flexible enough to move quickly toward launch.<\/p>\n