NASA's Swift rescue spacecraft LINK faces its own troubles in orbit
The LINK spacecraft, launched to boost the decaying Swift observatory back to a higher orbit, is now spinning uncontrollably due to attitude control issues, casting doubt on its mission.
In early July, NASA launched a spacecraft called LINK, built by Arizona-based Katalyst Space, with the mission to dock with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and tug it into a higher orbit. Swift has been experiencing faster-than-expected orbital decay due to increased solar activity, and without intervention, it was predicted to re-enter Earth's atmosphere this year.
However, LINK itself has run into difficulties. According to a NASA update on the Swift observatory blog, the spacecraft suffered attitude control problems last weekend, losing proper orientation and beginning to spin. This led to sporadic communications.
Two of LINK's three reaction wheels, which control orientation, are currently inoperable. There is also partial loss of functionality in its cold gas thruster system. The ground team remains in contact with LINK and plans to use its electric propulsion thrusters to stop the spin in the coming days. After stabilization, the team must reconfigure the spacecraft's guidance and navigation before Katalyst and NASA can assess whether LINK can still fulfill its primary goal.
Despite the setback, Katalyst Space remains hopeful. On its website, the company states: "The mission remains active and we continue to believe that with these changes, LINK has a viable path to rendezvous with Swift."
