Inside One Startup’s Race To Rescue NASA’s Sinking Space Telescope
Key takeaways
- NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has spent more than two decades scanning the universe for some of its most powerful explosions.
- “Spacecraft de-orbit all the time, but this is not just any spacecraft,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, division director for astrophysics at NASA Headquarters in Washington, during a press conference on June 17.
- Since launch, Swift has detected more than 2,000 GRBs, including events from near the edge of the visible universe.
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.Follow Author Jun 21, 2026, 04:04am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Summary An Arizona startup, Katalyst Space Technologies, is undertaking a daring mission to save NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Launched in 2004, Swift is a crucial telescope for studying gamma-ray bursts, acting as NASA's "first responder" for sudden cosmic events. However, atmospheric drag, intensified by recent solar activity, is pulling it dangerously close to Earth, threatening its imminent burn-up. Katalyst's LINK spacecraft, developed in a remarkable 250 days, will attempt to rendezvous, capture, and reboost Swift to a safer orbit. This high-stakes mission, launching via Pegasus XL, is a race against time, as Swift is expected to de-orbit by October. Success would validate robotic satellite servicing, offering a future where valuable spacecraft can be rescued and extended, rather than lost. The project highlights rapid commercial innovation in space.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, shown in this illustration, launched into Earth orbit in November 2004.NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KBRwyle)An Arizona-based startup is about to attempt a daring rescue of a doomed NASA space telescope — and it’s gone from zero to launch in just 250 days. NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has spent more than two decades scanning the universe for some of its most powerful explosions. Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, Swift remains scientifically valuable, but atmospheric drag has been pulling it dangerously close to Earth. Recent intense solar activity has worsened that decay, increasing the urgency of a rescue effort. If nothing is done, “Swift” will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
“Spacecraft de-orbit all the time, but this is not just any spacecraft,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, division director for astrophysics at NASA Headquarters in Washington, during a press conference on June 17. “It’s an observatory with unique capabilities for astrophysics — it can quickly pivot across the night sky to find things that go boom in the night.”