NASA launches emergency mission to rescue Swift Observatory
NASA initiated a high‑stakes robotic rescue effort to keep the 2004‑launched Swift Observatory from re‑entering Earth’s atmosphere after solar storms lowered its orbit.
NASA launched an emergency, high‑stakes mission to rescue the Swift Observatory and prevent it from crashing into Earth.
The Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, observes rapid bursts of light in space and alerts space agencies of their existence, according to kucera.news. Recent solar storms have lowered the satellite’s orbit, putting it in danger of burning up in Earth’s atmosphere as early as this year.
NASA planned a robotic rescue mission, with the rescue spacecraft being built by U.S. startup Katalyst Space Technologies. The spacecraft is named Lift, Times of India reported. Dawn reported that Lift will be launched aboard an air‑launched Pegasus rocket from a Pacific atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The mission is intended to adjust Swift’s trajectory and keep the observatory operational while averting atmospheric re‑entry.
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