Swift rescue mission
On-orbit satellite servicing mission
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The Swift rescue mission is a robotic on-orbit satellite servicing mission to boost the orbit and extend the lifetime of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which is otherwise anticipated to undergo uncontrolled reentry by the end of 2026. The servicing spacecraft is scheduled to launch in June 2026.[2] If successful, it will be the first commercial spacecraft to dock with a government-owned spacecraft that was not designed for docking or on-orbit servicing, and will represent a new capability for the space industry and the United States.[3][4]
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LINK being prepared for thermal vacuum testing | |
| Mission type | On-orbit satellite servicing |
|---|---|
| Operator | Katalyst Space Technologies (LINK spacecraft); NASA/Pennsylvania State University (Swift spacecraft) |
| Website | science |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | LINK |
| Manufacturer | Katalyst Space Technologies |
| Launch mass | ~400 kg (900 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Anticipated June 2026 |
| Rocket | Pegasus XL |
| Launch site | Ronald Reagan Space and Missile Test Range |
| Contractor | Northrop Grumman |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 20.6° |
| Capture of Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory | |
| RMS capture | TBD |
| RMS release | TBD |
| Time captured | TBD |
 Katalyst mission patch, with Latin motto "Audentes fortuna iuvat" ("Fortune favors the bold") | |
Swift
Swift is a three-instrument gamma-ray observatory launched in 2004.[2] It monitors gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), detecting about one hundred per year[5] and providing data to other observatories.[3] Swift has cost $500 million to build, launch, and operate as of 2026[update].[6] It has a unique ability to quickly turn to observe GRBs before they fade,[6] and with no planned replacement, its loss would significantly impede time-domain astrophysics.[4][5]
Swift occupies a low Earth orbit with an original altitude of approximately 600 kilometers (370 mi), which has decayed since launch to approximately 400 kilometers (250 mi) due to atmospheric drag.[2] Increased solar activity around the 2024 solar maximum expanded the Earth's atmosphere and accelerated the decay,[6] with uncontrolled reentry anticipated by the end of 2026.[3][4] Swift does not have a propulsion system of its own.[2]
Contract award
In September 2025, NASA awarded a $30 million Phase III contract to Katalyst Space Technologies, under the agency's Small Business Innovation Research program, to develop a spacecraft to dock with Swift and boost its orbit.[3] Katalyst beat out proposals from Starfish Space and a joint venture of Cambrian Works and Astroscale. In the award announcement, NASA official Shawn Domagal-Goldman said "Given how quickly Swift's orbit is decaying, we are in a race against the clock" to save it.[3]
Katalyst, founded in 2020 and based in Flagstaff, Arizona was already planning a mission in 2026 to demonstrate its on-orbit servicing capability.[6] The company has not previously flown a spacecraft, but Atomos Space, which Katalyst acquired in April 2025, has.[7] The company will use the Swift rescue mission to reduce the technical risk of its planned geostationary multi-mission servicing spacecraft, NEXUS, planned for 2027.[4][8] The selection of a private enterprise for the Swift rescue mission represents a policy shift for NASA, following the 2024 cancellation of the in-house OSAM-1 (formerly Restore-L) mission due to cost overruns.[5][9]
Drag minimization
Since February 11, 2026, most of Swift's science operations have been suspended in favor of pointing the spacecraft and its solar arrays to minimize drag and extend the orbit lifetime.[10] By disabling instruments and relaxing a requirement to have its solar arrays pointing within ten degrees of the sun, Swift's operators have been able to reduce its average cross-sectional area in the direction of flight by approximately 30% while remaining power positive.[11] If Swift slips below approximately 300 kilometers (190 mi), drag forces may make it impossible for the servicing spacecraft to dock and maintain control.[6] As of late May[update], modeling predicts Swift will remain above this critical altitude into at least September, one to three months beyond what was predicted prior to drag minimization efforts.[12][13][1]
LINK development and launch
Development of Katalyst's LINK spacecraft occurred under a greatly accelerated timeline,[3][8] with environmental testing at Goddard completed on May 4, 2026, just eight months after contract award;[2][3] a comparable mission would typically have a development time of twenty-four months from award to launch.[8] Following environmental testing, the spacecraft returned to Katalyst's Broomfield, Colorado facility for additional testing.[2] As of June 5th[update], the spacecraft is at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to be mated to a Pegasus XL rocket.[14] The Pegasus, the last of its kind, will be air launched from the Stargazer aircraft in the Marshall Islands.[2][15] The Pegasus launch system was selected partly for its ability to launch into Swift's low, 20.6 degree inclination. Launch is anticipated in the last week of June 2026.[1]
Boost operation
The LINK spacecraft will rendezvous, inspect, and ultimately dock with Swift approximately three to four weeks after launch, followed by a four to six week boost phase, after which LINK will undock.[2][16][1]
LINK is equipped with three parallel manipulator robotic arms, each equipped with lidar sensors and three-degree-of-freedom grippers.[12][1] Swift was not designed for on-orbit servicing, and does not have a docking port or grappling fixtures. Instead, LINK will attempt to attach to ground-handling flanges on the bus.[5][12] The docking procedure, which carries a risk of damaging Swift,[2] was validated in a robotic testbed with a full-scale model of Swift.[17] As no close-out photographs of Swift's base are available, LINK will collect images of Swift to ensure the intended gripping points are unobstructed before attempting to dock.[1]
Once docked, the orbit raising will be performed with three xenon-fueled Hall-effect thrusters, gimballed to align with the center of mass of the stacked vehicles.[1][18][19]
Swift mission director John Van Eepoel has said "The Swift boost attempt is a fast, high-risk, high-reward mission".[2] If successful, Swift's operational life is expected to be extended by at least ten years.[1]