Satellite Servicing

Swift Observatory Left to Burn Up as NASA Calls Off Its Orbital Rescue

NASA has cancelled the mission to boost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory back into a safe orbit due to an attitude control failure in the rescue spacecraft, LINK. The telescope is now expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere by the end of the year. While the primary mission failed, LINK will still attempt a rendezvous to gather data for future satellite servicing efforts.