#katalystspace — Public Fediverse posts

#NASA:
"
Due to an ongoing commercial spacecraft attitude control issue, NASA and Katalyst Space announced Wednesday the LINK spacecraft will not capture or boost an agency satellite to a higher altitude to extend its science mission as planned.
"
"Without intervention, NASA anticipates Swift is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year."

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-updates-next-steps-for-commercial-swift-boost-mission/

19.8.2026

#KatalystSpace #LINK #NASA #Raumfahrt #Reentry #Spaceflight #Swift #Weltraumteleskop #Wiedereintritt

#IndiaToday:
"
Link spacecraft sent to rescue falling Swift telescope is now stable. What's next?"

".. after a series of burns using one of Link's electric propulsion engines, the Katalyst team brought the spin down to about 1.47 degrees per second. ..plans to keep Link at this spin rate while it prepares for the next stage of the recovery effort. .."

https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/nasa-swift-observatory-rescue-link-spacecraft-update-2965613-2026-08-07

7.8.2026

#KatalystSpace #LINK #NASA #Raumfahrt #SpaceFlight #Swift #USA #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
Efforts Continue to Stabilize LINK Spacecraft for NASA’s Swift Boost
"
".. series of thruster burns this week reduced the rate of spin from approximately 9 degrees per second to less than 4 degrees per second. Katalyst is continuing with this approach to restabilize the spacecraft in the coming days. .."

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/31/efforts-continue-to-stabilize-link-spacecraft-for-nasas-swift-boost/

31.7.2026

#KatalystSpace #LINK #Raumfahrt #SpaceFlight #Swift #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
..LINK .. experienced issues with attitude control, causing .. spin and resulting in sporadic communications. Preliminary investigation shows that two of .. three reaction wheels currently are not operable, and there is some loss of functionality in its cold gas thruster system.
"
".. working to stop LINK’s spin over the next few days, using ..electric propulsion thrusters. .."

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/28/commissioning-update-for-spacecraft-to-boost-nasas-swift/

28.7.2026

#KatalystSpace #LINK #Raumfahrt #SpaceFlight #Swift #Weltraumteleskop

#ArsTechnica:
"
Reaction wheel failures leave Swift rescue mission spinning in orbit
"
"“Preliminary investigation shows that two of Link’s three reaction wheels currently are not operable, and there is some loss of functionality in its cold gas thruster system,” NASA said."

".. spacecraft is still generating sufficient electrical power in communication with ground teams .."

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/reaction-wheel-failures-leave-swift-rescue-mission-spinning-in-orbit/

28.7.2026

#KatalystSpace #LINK #NASA #Raumfahrt #SpaceFlight #Swift #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
On-Orbit Checkouts in Progress for Mission to Boost NASA’s Swift
"
"Commissioning is well underway for Katalyst’s robotic servicing spacecraft LINK, .. designed to boost the orbit of NASA’s .. Swift Observatory."

".. stabilized .. after an initial period of excess momentum + enabled autonomous momentum management. Katalyst is now checking out LINK’s subsystems, .."

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/10/on-orbit-checkouts-in-progress-for-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift/

10.7.2026

#KatalystSpace #LINK #Raumfahrt #Satelliten #SpaceFlight #Swift #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
Teams have successfully established communications with Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft LINK, which is designed to raise the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher altitude.
"
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/03/teams-make-contact-with-spacecraft-set-to-boost-nasas-swift/

3.7.2026

#GSFC #KatalystSpace #L1011 #LINK #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #Rakete #Raumfahrt #rocketry #SpaceFlight #Stargazer #Swift #Tristar #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
Mission To Boost NASA’s Swift Launches From Marshall Islands
"
"LINK, a robotic servicing spacecraft built by Katalyst Space, launched into orbit on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, which was deployed by the company’s Stargazer, a modified L-1011 aircraft, .."

https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/03/mission-to-boost-nasas-swift-launches-from-marshall-islands/

3.7.2026

#GSFC #KatalystSpace #L1011 #LINK #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #Rakete #Raumfahrt #rocketry #SpaceFlight #Stargazer #Swift #Tristar #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
Launch of Swift Boost Mission Delayed, Teams Reviewing Data

.. launch of .. LINK on .. Pegasus XL rocket .. was postponed Thursday. After takeoff of the L-1011 aircraft carrying the Pegasus XL, a launch vehicle issue temporarily prevented teams from deploying the rocket. ..
"
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/02/launch-of-swift-boost-mission-delayed-teams-reviewing-data/

2.7.2026

#GSFC #KatalystSpace #L1011 #LINK #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #Rakete #Raumfahrt #rocketry #SpaceFlight #Stargazer #Swift #Tristar #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
Launch
No earlier than Thursday, July 2, at 9:09 p.m. UTC+12 (5:09 a.m. EDT)

Northrop Grumman's Stargazer aircraft will take off from Kwajalein Atoll .., climb to about 40,000 feet, and drop a Pegasus XL rocket carrying Katalyst Space's LINK robotic servicing satellite. Pegasus XL’s three solid rocket motors will fire in sequence and deliver LINK to orbit to boost NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
"
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/swift/swift-boost-mission/

#KatalystSpace #LINK #Swift

#NASA:
"
Launch of Mission to Boost NASA’s Swift Scrubs Due to Weather

The launch of Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft LINK .., was postponed Tuesday due to unfavorable weather .. next launch attempt is targeted for no earlier than Wednesday, July 1, at 9:43 p.m. UTC+12, ..
"
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/06/30/launch-of-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift-scrubs-due-to-weather/

#GSFC #KatalystSpace #L1011 #LINK #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #Rakete #Raumfahrt #rocketry #SpaceFlight #Stargazer #Swift #Tristar #Weltraumteleskop

#NASA:
"
Partners, NASA Ready for June Launch of Swift Boost Mission
"
".. mission to raise the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is poised for launch no earlier than Tuesday, June 30, 6:23 a.m. EDT (10:23 p.m. UTC+12), from Kwajalein Atoll, .."

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/swift/swift-boost-mission/partners-nasa-ready-for-june-launch-of-swift-boost-mission/

26.6.2026

#GSFC #KatalystSpace #L1011 #LINK #NASA #NeilGehrelsSwiftObservatory #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #Rakete #Raumfahrt #rocketry #SpaceFlight #Stargazer #Swift #Tristar #Weltraumteleskop

NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission.
The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver.
NASA hired startup
Katalyst Space Technologies
to boost the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit
where it can continue hunting for some of the universe’s biggest explosions.
A three-armed spacecraft built by Katalyst will chase after Swift once it takes off from an atoll
in the Pacific’s Marshall Islands
aboard an airplane-launched Pegasus rocket.
Liftoff could occur as early as Tuesday.

Scanning the cosmos since its launch in 2004,
Swift has been sinking faster and faster because of recent intense solar activity.
It needs to get to a higher, more stable orbit as soon as possible to survive.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope
— also at risk — could be next.
Like Swift, Hubble is losing altitude as the sun erupts with one flare after another.
Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said his company’s next-generation robot, still in development,
could save the day for the much bigger Hubble in a couple years
#swiftobservatory #katalystspace
https://apnews.com/article/nasa-swift-satellite-rescue-mission-f715e10a93c1015e280a7ccd1028a9c4

#FlugRevue:
"
Rettung des NASA-Forschungssatelliten Swift
Letzte TriStar auf kniffliger Raumfahrtmission

Die Lockheed L-1011 TriStar von Northrop Grumman kommt im Juni 2026 wieder als fliegende Raketenstartrampe zum Einsatz.
"
https://www.flugrevue.de/raumfahrt/letzte-lockheed-tristar-auf-kniffliger-raumfahrtmission/

5.12.2025

#KatalystSpace #LINK #Luftfahrt #L1011 #NorthropGrumman #PegasusXL #Raumfahrt #Satellten #SpaceFlight #Stargazer #Swift #TriStar #Weltraumteleskop