NASA launches 'space robot' to rescue Swift telescope; tech could reshape satellite servicing

A first-of-its-kind mission to rescue NASA's ageing Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is underway after a robotic servicing spacecraft launched from the South Pacific on Friday (Jul 3), in a closely watched test that could transform how satellites are serviced in orbit.

LINK, built by Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies, was launched into orbit aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket released from the company's modified Stargazer aircraft at an altitude of about 40,000 feet over Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

The spacecraft will spend the next two months gradually catching up with the Swift telescope before using its robotic arms to latch onto the observatory and gently raise it into a higher orbit, potentially extending its operational life by years.

Swift, which has been studying gamma-ray bursts, black holes and distant galaxies since 2004, has no onboard propulsion capability. NASA said that recent solar activity has accelerated the decay of its orbit by increasing atmospheric drag.

Without intervention, the US$500 million orbiting observatory is expected to gradually lose altitude and drift towards Earth, eventually burning up ​in the atmosphere later this year.

WORLD’S FIRST “SPACE ROBOT”

Under a US$30 million NASA contract, Arizona-based Katalyst built and tested the half-ton LINK in just nine months – an unprecedented timeline for such a complex space mission.

“This entire mission came together at breakneck speed,” Katalyst founder and CEO Ghonhee Lee said on Friday, describing the rescue spacecraft as the world’s first-of-its-kind “space robot”.

“It has robotic arms, grapple mechanisms (and) manoeuvrability to be able to dock onto a satellite … and ultimately the power to boost the multi-ton asset,” he told CNA.

Lee acknowledged the effort carries significant risk, but said the alternative was guaranteed failure.

“This is a very high risk, high reward type of mission,” he said. “(But) the biggest danger that we all recognised was doing nothing. If we can’t launch a spacecraft on time, Swift would 100 per cent come down.”

NEW ERA OF SATELLITE SERVICING

Lee said the project represents a major step forward for the space industry, which has traditionally focused on building and launching satellites rather than servicing them once in orbit.

He argued the industry needs to move beyond treating satellites as one-time-launch assets, saying technologies such as robotic servicing and maintenance can extend the lifespan of valuable spacecraft at a fraction of the cost of replacing them.

“Swift is a great science instrument. It's been providing insights about the formation of the cosmos for many years. It has a lot of valuable potential left in it,” he said.

“NASA awarded us this US$30 million contract, but Swift is valued at US$500 million. It actually makes a lot of sense to put a mission like this together.”

Lee said robotics will be central to the next generation of space exploration, describing the Swift rescue as "a key stepping stone" in proving the technology is ready.

“Whether around the Earth or the Moon, robotics are at the centre of all of it. Think about repair, refit, upgrades of satellites and building infrastructure in space that's going to power the next decade of space exploration,” he said.

TACKLING SPACE WASTE

The technology could also help tackle one of the space industry's fastest-growing challenges: orbital debris.

The number of satellites in orbit has increased more than tenfold over the past decade, raising concerns about congestion and the long-term sustainability of Earth's orbital environment.

“Being able to put autonomous robotic satellites up in space to grab things, clean up space junk, is an important capability,” Lee said.

“In the future that same technology (used to rescue Swift) could be used for de-orbiting, as well as for building reusable satellites and helping change what space operations look like.”