NASA paused science on Swift observatory for $30 million reboost
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which has been exploring space since 2004, is slowly falling back to Earth due to orbital decay.
To save it, NASA paused all scientific work in February 2026 and is prepping a $30 million reboost mission to give Swift a lift back into a safer orbit.
Katalyst Space LINK launch attempts scrubbed
The rescue plan features Katalyst Space's LINK robotic spacecraft, built since last September and packed with robotic arms plus solar-powered ion thrusters for precise moves.
The idea is to push Swift higher over several months so it can keep studying things like gamma-ray bursts and black holes.
While three launch attempts got scrubbed this week because of weather and rocket issues; NASA hasn't set a new date yet.
If all goes well, this mission could show how aging satellites get second chances in space.