Spacecraft leaves to “rescue” NASA telescope

According to information from the Associated Press agency, the aerospace company Northrop Grumman launched the unmanned Link spacecraft, from another company in the sector, Katalyst Space Technologies, from the Marshall Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft should reach the Swift Observatory within a month.

Swift was launched in 2004 and monitors some of the biggest explosions in the universe, such as gamma-ray bursts and stellar explosions. The telescope needs to be “rescued” because it is rapidly losing altitude due to solar storms.

In the mission, the Swift will be captured and its orbit raised by activating Link’s thrusters, which will allow it to remain operational. NASA will pay Katalyst US$30 million for the operation.

If the mission is successful, the telescope, whose observations are suspended so that its orbit is preserved for as long as possible, will be able to resume activities by September. Before this Friday’s launch, the mission suffered delays due to bad weather conditions and technical problems.