LINK spacecraft failures threaten NASA effort to extend Swift observatory
NASA's attempt to keep the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory running longer just ran into some tech trouble.
The LINK spacecraft, launched July 3, 2026, started spinning out of control after two of its three reaction wheels failed and one thruster system experienced problems.
Because of this, it's struggling to stay in touch with Earth: its antenna can't stay pointed in the right direction.
NASA uses backup thrusters on LINK
NASA's team is using backup thrusters to slow down the spin and reports a bit of progress so far.
LINK was built fast by startup Katalyst Space, which raised $12 million just last month for this high-stakes mission, the first time NASA has teamed up with a private company for an orbital boost like this.
If they pull it off, Swift could keep hunting gamma-ray bursts for years to come.