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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNeil Gehrels Swift Observatory is designed to locate and study gamma-ray bursts thought to originate from the birth of new black holes. Gamma-ray bursts last a few milliseconds to a few minutes before disappearing entirely. Credit: NASA\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
NASA has awarded a contract to execute a high-stakes orbital maneuver, racing against time and atmospheric drag to prevent a critical science asset from tumbling back to Earth. The target of this unprecedented rescue attempt is the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a telescope that has spent two decades studying the universe\u2019s most powerful explosions, known as gamma-ray bursts<\/a>, but whose altitude is now rapidly decaying.<\/p>\n In a move intended to extend the Swift mission\u2019s science lifetime and advance U.S. capabilities in servicing satellites, NASA awarded Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona, a $30 million contract. Katalyst will attempt to rendezvous with the telescope and boost it to a higher, more stable orbit.\u00a0<\/p>\n If successful, the Swift boost would be a first: the first time a commercial robotic spacecraft captures a government satellite that is uncrewed and was not originally designed to be serviced in space.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven how quickly Swift\u2019s orbit is decaying, we are in a race against the clock, but by leveraging commercial technologies that are already in development, we are meeting this challenge head-on,\u201d said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of NASA\u2019s astrophysics division, in a Sept. 24 news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n Orbital decay<\/p>\n Launched in 2004, the $500 million Swift Observatory<\/a> alerts NASA\u2019s fleet of space telescopes of gamma-ray bursts the moment they occur. Gamma-ray bursts are powerful explosions \u2014 the most powerful since the Big Bang \u2014 that emit gamma radiation. These events occur approximately once a day and come from all directions. Now believed to indicate the birth of a black hole, scientists are still not sure what causes them. Swift was built to answer that question.<\/p>\n The telescope remains fully operational but has been silently sliding toward an early end. Like all objects in low Earth orbit, Swift has gradually been losing altitude due to atmospheric drag. On top of that, recent increases in the Sun\u2019s activity has caused Earth\u2019s atmosphere to swell, intensifying drag and speeding up the process. As a result, the observatory\u2019s altitude has dropped from an initial 373 miles (600 km) to 249 miles (400 km). Because the satellite has no propulsion system, it cannot enter into a safer orbit without being boosted by another spacecraft. It faces a 50 percent chance of uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026, increasing to 90 percent by the end of that year. This would mean the loss of a key scientific capability, as there is currently no planned replacement.<\/p>\n To prevent an uncontrolled deorbit, NASA utilized its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, awarding Katalyst a Phase III contract. NASA says this will allow it to pursue the orbit boost on a shorter development timeline than would otherwise be possible. The mission will demonstrate a \u201crapid-response capability\u201d by moving from concept to implementation in less than a year, according to Nicky Fox, associate administrator, in NASA\u2019s news release. The rescue plan mandates that Katalyst must be ready to launch in as little as eight months, with docking operations scheduled for June 2026.<\/p>\n Life extension<\/p>\n Swift is not the first telescope where NASA has considered tapping industry for a reboost. NASA recently explored a commercial mission to reboost the aging Hubble Space Telescope, including a 2022 proposal from Jared Isaacman and SpaceX. However, after a feasibility study, NASA declined to pursue that plan. Mark Clampin, director of the agency\u2019s Astrophysics Division, said<\/a> the agency did not want to suffer a \u201cpremature loss of science\u201d or contaminate the telescope\u2019s mirror, especially since Hubble is currently operating successfully and is expected to last until the mid-2030s. By contrast, Swift\u2019s decay is rapid, making Katalyst\u2019s rescue mission urgent.<\/p>\n A major challenge for Katalyst is that Swift was not designed for such an operation. Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which was serviced by astronauts aboard the space shuttle, Swift has no external docking ports or grappling fixtures. Instead, the servicer craft will rely on what Katalyst calls a \u201ccustom-built robotic capture mechanism\u201d designed to attach to a feature on Swift\u2019s main structure without damaging its sensitive instruments.<\/p>\n Success could \u201cunlock a new era of on-orbit servicing where satellites can be routinely and regularly serviced instead of thrown away,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n It could also \u201copen the door to extending the life of more spacecraft in the future,\u201d said NASA\u2019s Clayton Turner, associate administrator of the agency\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate, in its news release.<\/p>\n National security stakes<\/p>\n Satellite servicing capabilities have also emerged in recent years as crucial for national security. China has already demonstrated on-orbit servicing abilities in 2022, using the uncrewed satellite SJ-21 to tow a defunct satellite. Katalyst\u2019s operation \u2014 capture and handling of a fully operational spacecraft, one that was not designed to be docked or serviced \u2014 is a more complex task that requires more precision and comes with more risk.<\/p>\n