NASA launches $30 million robotic mission to rescue Swift telescope
NASA launched a robotic mission on Friday to boost the Swift telescope to a higher orbit, addressing its descent toward Earth after solar storms.
NASA launched a robotic mission on Friday, a $30 million effort intended to rescue the Swift telescope, which is in danger of crashing back to Earth or burning up in the atmosphere.
The Swift telescope has been affected by recent solar storms and is sinking toward Earth. According to the Hindu, without intervention the telescope is expected to soon burn up in the atmosphere.
The mission plans to boost Swift to a higher orbit. CNN.com reported that, if successful, it will be the first commercial robotic mission to capture an uncrewed NASA spacecraft that was not designed to be serviced in space. CNN.com also noted that the Swift operations team reduced power usage and steered the observatory to a more streamlined position.
The launch had been scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to weather, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
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