NASA abandons mission to rescue Swift space telescope
NASA announced Wednesday that it was calling off a multimillion-dollar mission to rescue its aging Swift telescope before it reenters Earth’s atmosphere, citing difficulties controlling the spacecraft’s altitude.
TL;DR
- NASA has called off its mission to rescue the Swift telescope due to issues controlling the altitude of the LINK spacecraft.
- The LINK spacecraft was launched last month as part of a risky effort to boost Swift's orbit.
- Despite the mission's cancellation, the LINK spacecraft will still attempt a rendezvous with Swift to test future operational readiness.
- Swift, launched in 2004, studied gamma-ray bursts and other cosmic events, operating for over 21 years.
- NASA saw the mission as an opportunity to advance U.S. spacecraft-servicing capabilities.
- The Swift telescope is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere later this year.