Nasa robot mission aims to rescue space telescope

If successful, the effort could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life.

WASHINGTON: Nasa is set to launch a daring robotic rescue mission in a long-shot bid to prevent one of its ageing telescopes from vanishing into dust. If successful, the effort could pave the way for giving other decommissioned satellites a second life in orbit. The complex operation is set to last several months, kicking off with the launch of a specialised robot designed to rescue the Swift space telescope, which is currently falling towards Earth and is expected to burn up in the atmosphere without immediate intervention.

The rescue spacecraft, developed by the US startup Katalyst, was originally slated to lift off on Tuesday at 1023 GMT from a Pacific Ocean atoll aboard a small rocket named Pegasus. However, Nasa postponed the launch, citing unfavourable weather conditions, and has rescheduled the next launch attempt for no earlier than Wednesday, 1 July at 0943 GMT. The rocket-propelled launch vehicle will not take off from a traditional pad; instead, it will be released mid-air from a jet. Regina Caputo, a Nasa astrophysicist, noted the extreme difficulty of the operation, explaining that after reaching low Earth orbit, the robot must locate Swift across the vastness of space, manoeuvre around it, latch on with three movable arms, and tow it about 300 kilometres higher into a stable orbit over the course of at least a month.

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory telescope was launched in 2004 for an initial two-year mission to study gamma-ray bursts, which are highly brief and energetic cosmic explosions. Placed at an altitude of approximately 600 kilometres to maintain constant communication with researchers, the device lacked its own propulsion, making it vulnerable to atmospheric drag caused by solar activity. When forecasts in early 2025 indicated the telescope was nearing its fiery end, Nasa decided to fund the $30 million rescue operation to save the $250 million asset due to its high demand and irreplaceable rapid-response capabilities. The rescue robot, named LINK, faces a steep challenge as engineers do not possess a clear picture of the back of the telescope where the arms must latch, leading experts to place the chance of success at a tentative 50-50.