©NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

The LINK spacecraft, operated by Katalyst Space, will no longer attempt to capture and raise Swift’s altitude.

Instead, NASA and Katalyst will focus on rendezvous and proximity operations with the observatory.

The original plan was for LINK to rendezvous with Swift, capture the ageing observatory and move it into a higher orbit. This would have allowed Swift to continue its scientific observations for longer.

However, an ongoing attitude control problem has made the planned capture and orbital boost impossible. Despite the setback, NASA still sees the mission as an important opportunity to test commercial spacecraft servicing capabilities.

Teams from NASA and Katalyst are now assessing how LINK can safely approach Swift and carry out rendezvous and proximity operations. The data gathered during the attempt could help engineers improve future missions involving spacecraft inspection, repair, refuelling or relocation.

Swift has spent more than two decades studying some of the universe’s most energetic events. Launched in 2004, the observatory was originally designed for a two-year primary mission.

Its main focus has been gamma-ray bursts, among the most powerful explosions known in the universe. Swift has also observed a wide range of other cosmic phenomena, providing astronomers with valuable information about rapidly changing objects and events.

In recent years, increased solar activity has caused Swift’s low-Earth orbit to decay more quickly. Without intervention, NASA expects the spacecraft will likely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere later this year.

NASA awarded Katalyst Space a contract in September 2025 to develop the robotic servicing mission in less than a year. The project accelerated partly because changing space-weather conditions affected Swift’s orbit.

LINK launched on July 3 aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. Following launch, mission teams established communications with the spacecraft and carried out a series of in-orbit checks.

The later attitude control problem became a major struggle to the original mission plan. NASA and Katalyst are continuing to study the spacecraft’s condition as they prepare for the next stage of operations.

Although LINK will not extend Swift’s scientific mission as originally intended, NASA says the project has already helped develop commercial space capabilities.

The mission has provided experience in rapidly developing, launching and operating a spacecraft intended for in-space servicing. The upcoming rendezvous attempt could provide further data about how commercial spacecraft can safely approach and operate around existing satellites.

NASA also plans to continue looking for ways to respond quickly to changing conditions in space and to maintain scientific capabilities as Swift approaches the end of its operational life.

For now, the focus has shifted from extending Swift’s mission to making the most of LINK’s remaining capabilities.