{"id":15872,"date":"2026-07-01T14:05:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/link-spacecraft-set-for-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift-observatory\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T14:05:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:05:03","slug":"link-spacecraft-set-for-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift-observatory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/link-spacecraft-set-for-mission-to-boost-nasas-swift-observatory\/","title":{"rendered":"LINK Spacecraft Set for Mission to Boost NASA\u2019s Swift Observatory"},"content":{"rendered":"

LINK Spacecraft Set for Mission to Boost NASA\u2019s Swift Observatory<\/h2>\n

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A Katalyst engineer runs tests on LINK while the satellite is inside the Pegasus XL rocket attached to the Stargazer aircraft at NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Ron Beard<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A first-of-its-kind mission<\/a> to raise the orbit of NASA\u2019s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory<\/a> is poised for launch no earlier than\u00a0Thursday, July 2, 5:09 a.m. EDT (9:09 p.m. UTC+12),\u00a0from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. A robotic servicing spacecraft called LINK, built by Katalyst Space, will blast into orbit on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket attached to the belly of the company\u2019s Stargazer aircraft, shown here in this photograph from the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After launch, LINK will attempt to rendezvous with, grapple, and slowly raise Swift\u2019s altitude over several months, preventing it from re-entering Earth\u2019s atmosphere later this year. If this daring mission is successful, it will be the first time a commercial robotic mission has captured a NASA spacecraft that is both uncrewed and not originally designed to be serviced in space.<\/p>\n

Follow the Swift blog to learn more about the mission.<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credit: NASA\/Ron Beard<\/em><\/p>\n

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Get The Details…<\/a>
\nHQ Web Team <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A first-of-its-kind mission to raise the orbit of NASA\u2019s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is poised for launch no earlier than\u00a0Thursday, July 2, 5:09 a.m. EDT (9:09 p.m. UTC+12),\u00a0from Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. A robotic servicing spacecraft called LINK, built by Katalyst Space, will blast [\u2026] Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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