A rescue spacecraft named LINK, which was designed by private company Katalyst Space, launched on July 3 with the aim of raising the falling observatory to a higher orbit. However, in the weeks following launch, the rescue mission itself encountered problems and started spinning out of control. On Wednesday (Aug. 19) NASA announced that the rescue mission would not continue as planned.
"This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting," NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
On top of that, an uptick in solar activity in recent years has caused our outer atmosphere to expand, increasing the number of molecules the telescope encountered, pulling it closer to Earth.
"We knew this was a high-risk, high-reward mission – a first-of-its kind attempt, developed on an unprecedented timeline driven by the Sun's activity," Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's Astrophysics Division, said in the statement.
While NASA has had to give up on the goals of the original mission, citing ongoing altitude control issues, officials say the project has not been completely cancelled. "LINK still will attempt to conduct rendezvous and proximity operations with NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to demonstrate key capabilities for the future of space exploration," the space agency wrote in the statement.
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They added that NASA and Katalyst will assess the best next steps for the two spacecraft to gather as much data as possible for future satellite servicing operations.
With no further intervention, Swift will likely re-enter our atmosphere later this year, NASA said.
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