Katalyst's three-armed Link craft reentered 85 days after launch. It closed to within 12 to 15 kilometres of NASA's Swift observatory but did not capture it; two of its three reaction wheels had failed after launch. NASA's Shawn Domagal-Goldman said the flight did not extend Swift's scientific life. Katalyst held a 30 million dollar NASA contract.
Katalyst's three-armed Link craft reentered the atmosphere 85 days after launch. It had closed to between 12 and 15 kilometres of NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory but did not capture it. That ended the attempt to raise the observatory's orbit. Had the capture worked, Link would have fired its engine with the observatory attached and carried it to a higher orbit.[1], [2], [3]
Link lifted off from Kwajalein Atoll on 3 July. After launch, two of its three reaction wheels failed, and the fuel left was not enough for a safe capture. Reaction wheels are spinning wheels that point a spacecraft without burning fuel. Katalyst had held a 30 million dollar NASA contract since September 2024 and built the rescue plan in 22 months.[1]
Swift is a gamma-ray observatory launched in November 2004. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's astrophysics division, said the attempt was high risk and that this flight did not extend Swift's scientific life. ABC News reports that the private spacecraft plunged back to Earth less than three months after launch. Gamma-ray bursts are among the most powerful explosions in the universe, and Swift is an observatory that catches them and quickly reports where they are.[1], [3]
