New Delhi: NASA has awarded a contract to Katalyst Space Technologies to raise the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. A servicing spacecraft by Katalyst will rendezvous with the Swift Obvservatory in orbit, and raise it to a higher altitude. The operation will extend the lifetime of the mission, and demonstrate a key capability for the future of space exploration. The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004 to observe mysterious and energetic events known as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The orbit of the spacecraft has been decaying slowly because of drag from the outer atmosphere. The orbital decay has been sped up by solar activity.
Solar outbursts inject heat into the atmosphere, inflating it much like a hot air balloon. This increases the drag on satellites, reducing their altitudes. The increase in solar activity has degraded the orbit of the Swift Observatory to a greater extent than predicted, providing NASA with the opportunity for demonstrating a technology that could benefit many missions in the future. The Swift Observatory was not designed to be serviced. If successful, this will be the first commercial mission that captures an ‘uncooperative’ government target and raises its altitude. The capability of servicing satellites in orbit, modifying their configurations, raising their altitudes, or topping up the fuel can extend the lifetimes of missions and reduce space debris.
A race against the clock
Attempting to raise the orbit of the Swift Observatory is more economical than deploying a new satellite with the same capabilities. The contract bagged by Katalyst is worth #30 million. Associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, Nicky Fox said, “This industry collaboration to boost Swift’s orbit is just one of many ways NASA works for the nation every day. By moving quickly to pursue innovative commercial solutions, we’re further developing the space industry and strengthening American space leadership. This daring mission also will demonstrate our ability to go from concept to implementation in less than a year — a rapid-response capability important for our future in space as we send humans back to the Moon under the Artemis campaign, to Mars, and beyond.” NASA and Katalyst plan to execute the mission between March and June 2026.