NASA launching LINK Pegasus XL mission to save Swift observatory
Technology
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which has been orbiting Earth since 2004, is slowly falling and could crash by mid-2026.
To keep it going, NASA's sending up the LINK spacecraft on a Pegasus XL rocket, hoping to give Swift a new lease on life before it's too late.
Lockheed L-1011 Stargazer carries Pegasus XL
The Pegasus XL rocket will hitch a ride on the Lockheed L-1011 Stargazer, the last plane of its kind still flying.
This retro aircraft, first built in 1974 and revamped for rocket launches in the 1990s, has already pulled off nearly 50 launches.
By dropping rockets from high up (about 40,000 feet), Stargazer helps save fuel and lets missions like this dodge dangerous radiation zones, making it perfect for tricky rescues like Swift's.