Engineers Work to Rescue Satellite Sent to Save NASA's Swift Mission
A refrigerator-sized rescue satellite named Link spun out of control during a mission to boost the orbit of NASA's $500 million Swift gamma-ray observatory. Engineers are currently attempting to fix thruster and hardware issues to regain control.
Engineers are working to regain control of a refrigerator-sized satellite named Link after it spun out of control during a mission to save NASA's Swift observatory. The spacecraft lost stability more than 200 miles above Earth, complicating efforts to maintain steady communications with ground controllers.
The Link satellite was built, owned, and operated by Katalyst Space Technologies, a satellite servicing startup. Katalyst received a $30 million contract from NASA to launch Link to rendezvous with the $500 million Swift gamma-ray observatory, capture it, and elevate its orbit before drag forces cause it to re-enter and burn up in the atmosphere.
During the spin, Link began rotating on multiple axes, causing two of its three reaction wheels used for pointing to fail. Sporadic radio contacts revealed further issues with the satellite's cold gas thrusters, which handle fine attitude control. Operations remain underway as engineers evaluate options to stabilize the craft.
Source attribution
- arstechnica.com
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- arstechnica.com: Original source
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NASA · Swift observatory · Katalyst Space Technologies · space · satellites
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