Private Spacecraft Falls Back to Earth After Failing to Rescue Aging NASA Telescope
The $30 million salvage effort ended after Link lost control, and NASA said the mission provided practice for future satellite-rescue attempts.
- On Friday, the robotic spacecraft Link plunged back to Earth, ending the $30 million, NASA-sponsored salvage effort to rescue the aging Swift Observatory.
- Built in under a year, Link aimed to boost the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit, but electronic failures and a malfunctioning valve forced Engineers to abandon the mission after depleting fuel reserves.
- Flight controllers utilized remaining time to practice maneuvering Link's three arms, each about 3 feet long, guiding the spacecraft to within 7 miles to 9 miles of Swift before reentry.
- NASA's Shawn Domagal-Goldman noted the effort provided "valuable practice," while Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee called it an "ambitious mission on an aggressive timeline" and "a foundation we can build on."
- Swift is currently scanning the universe but faces a downward spiral, with the telescope expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere in early November as NASA scrambles to fill the void left by the $364 million observatory.
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Private spacecraft falls back to Earth after failing to rescue aging NASA telescope - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The robotic spacecraft that failed to rescue an aging NASA telescope plunged back to Earth on Friday less than three...
Spacecraft falls back to earth after failed NASA recovery mission...
The robotic spacecraft that failed to rescue an aging NASA telescope plunged back to Earth on Friday less than three months after launching on the bold mission. Katalyst Space Technologies announced the demise of its three-armed spacecraft named Link. It reentered the atmosphere overnight, bringing the $30 million, NASA-sponsored salvage... Read More The post Spacecraft falls back to earth after failed NASA recovery mission appeared first on Th…
Private spacecraft falls back to Earth after failing to rescue aging N
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The robotic spacecraft that failed to rescue an aging NASA telescope plunged back to Earth on Friday less than three months after launching on the bold mission. Katalyst Space Technologies announced the
Spacecraft plummets back to Earth after failing to capture NASA observatory
A robotic spacecraft sent to rescue an aging telescope belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) fell back to Earth less than three months after it launched.
"We knew from the beginning that this was an ambitious mission with a tight schedule," said the CEO of the company that sent the spacecraft.
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