Mission to save NASA's Swift space telescope is called off
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have officially abandoned the mission to save the aging Swift space telescope. The spacecraft sent to rescue the telescope failed to maintain control, meaning the observatory will likely burn up during atmospheric reentry later this year.
Why it matters
The loss of the Swift telescope marks the end of a two-decade mission that provided critical data on gamma-ray bursts and cosmic explosions.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The mission to save NASA’s sinking Swift Observatory was called off Wednesday, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies announced the news more than a month after the startup’s Link spacecraft rocketed away to the telescope’s rescue .
Katalyst said Link will not attempt to capture Swift and boost it to a higher orbit because of problems with controlling the spacecraft. NASA said this means the telescope will plunge through the atmosphere after more than 20 years of tracking some of the biggest explosions in the universe like gamma ray bursts and exploding stars. Its demise is not expected before October.
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