NASA MISSION TO SAVE SWIFT SPACE TELESCOPE FROM RE-ENTRY FAILS

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

A mission to rescue NASA’s Swift space telescope from falling back into Earth’s atmosphere has failed after the spacecraft sent to reposition it could not be controlled, the US space agency said on Wednesday.

The $30 million mission was designed to use an unmanned spacecraft to capture the Swift telescope and move it into a higher orbit, potentially extending its scientific life.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said although the mission did not achieve its objective, it could provide valuable lessons for future satellite-servicing missions.

“This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting,” Isaacman said.

The rescue spacecraft was developed by US startup Katalyst and launched on July 3 aboard a Pegasus rocket, which was deployed from an aircraft.

However, Katalyst announced on July 28 that the spacecraft had been spinning out of control for about 72 hours and had experienced several technical problems, including a loss of communication.

The company attributed the eventual cancellation of the mission to ongoing attitude-control problems.

NASA said the spacecraft would still attempt to reach the Swift telescope, with the objective of gathering information that could help scientists and engineers develop future satellite-repair and servicing technologies.

The Swift telescope, launched in 2004, was designed to study gamma-ray bursts — among the most powerful explosions in the universe.

With the rescue mission unsuccessful, NASA said Swift will likely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year.

AFP