- NASA funded the launch of the spacecraft LINK to rescue the Swift observatory, which is at risk of crashing due to atmospheric drag from solar activity.
- Swift, launched in 2004, is crucial for studying high-energy cosmic explosions, and its orbit has fallen from 373 to 220 miles, with a rescue needed before it drops below 186 miles.
- Katalyst Space Technologies designed and built the three-armed LINK robot in eight months for this unprecedented mission, aiming to grab Swift and raise its orbit over 2-3 months back to 373 miles.
- The rescue involves LINK approaching, circling, and gently lifting Swift without sudden boosts, with success potentially paving the way for saving other telescopes like Hubble.
- The mission is high-risk but deemed worth it due to Swift's unique scientific value in observing brief, powerful cosmic events that reveal the dawn of the cosmos.