Katalyst’s satellite rescue mission targets NASA’s Swift
▼ Summary
– An air-launched Pegasus XL rocket was released over the Pacific Ocean on July 5 to begin a mission to rescue NASA’s Swift satellite from falling out of orbit.
– The Swift rescue mission is the first of its kind, awarded to Katalyst Space Technologies after NASA sought commercial proposals to rapidly build and launch a satellite to boost Swift’s altitude.
– Katalyst built and launched its nearly half-ton Link satellite in just over nine months, a remarkable achievement as such a project typically takes several years.
– The Pegasus XL rocket, carrying the Link satellite, was flown from Virginia to Kwajalein Atoll and released at 41,000 feet before igniting its first stage.
– The Link satellite will latch onto Swift and raise its orbit, preventing it from descending to Earth within months.
High above a remote stretch of the Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between Hawaii and the northern tip of Australia, an air-launched rocket soared into space over the Fourth of July weekend. Its mission: a weekslong chase to intercept a NASA astronomy satellite that is dangerously close to slipping out of orbit.
This rescue attempt for NASA’s Swift satellite marks the first operation of its kind. Less than a year ago, the space agency called on commercial companies to submit proposals for rapidly building and launching a small spacecraft capable of latching onto Swift and pushing it higher, preventing an uncontrolled reentry within months.
Katalyst Space Technologies delivered the winning bid. In September, NASA awarded the company a contract to construct and launch a rescue mission for Swift. Just over nine months later, Katalyst’s nearly half-ton Link satellite is now safely in orbit. For anyone tracking the space industry, designing, testing, and launching a functioning satellite of this size , and a first-of-its-kind design , in under a year is a stunning feat. Such projects typically stretch over several years.
Reaching Swift in time
Last month, technicians sealed the Link satellite inside the nose cone of a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. An aircrew then flew the rocket and its L-1011 carrier aircraft from Virginia to the U. S. Army’s Ronald Reagan Space and Missile Test Range on Kwajalein Atoll. That facility, leased from the Marshall Islands, sits more than 2,000 miles southwest of Honolulu.
Once on site, the rocket and its carrier plane waited several days for favorable weather. Finally, they took off for a predetermined launch zone south of Kwajalein. With all systems go and the aircraft cruising at 41,000 feet, the pilots released the 58-foot-long rocket at 4:36 am EDT (08:36 UTC) on Friday. Five seconds later, the Pegasus XL’s solid-fueled first stage ignited, beginning the climb toward orbit.
(Source: Ars Technica)
