LINK was built to rescue NASA’s 2004 Swift telescope, which lacks propulsion of its own.
Stargazer staged the final Pegasus launch from Kwajalein Atoll to reach Swift’s low-inclination orbit.
Katalyst will perform checkouts and rendezvous with Swift over the next few weeks before observing Swift to characterise it and attempting to dock.
Katalyst will observe Swift to characterize it before attempting to dock.
Katalyst will perform checkouts and rendezvous with Swift over the next few weeks.
Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket was carrying LINK, Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft for the Swift observatory.
NASA ground controllers implemented a drag-minimization profile for Swift on February 11, 2026.
LINK will attempt to rendezvous with Swift in low Earth orbit and boost the observatory to a higher altitude.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been gradually losing altitude because increased atmospheric drag from recent solar storms has slowed its orbit.
NASA reduced Swift’s average cross-sectional area by approximately 30% by powering down major science instruments and relaxing solar array orientation rules.
NASA awarded Katalyst Space the contract in September 2025 to design, build, test, and launch a spacecraft capable of meeting, grabbing, and lifting Swift.
Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket was scheduled to carry LINK, Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft for NASA’s Swift observatory.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Pennsylvania State University’s Eberly College of Science in University Park made operational changes to keep Swift at least 185 miles above Earth.
NASA chose a reboost mission for Swift to demonstrate a commercial servicing capability and extend the observatory’s scientific lifetime at lower cost than replacing its instruments.
The drag-minimization profile extended Swift’s point of no return into late October 2026.
Katalyst Space LINK is ready to launch no earlier than June 30 on a mission to capture and raise NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
The next Pegasus-XL launch attempt for the Swift Boost Mission is scheduled for tomorrow at 09:43 UTC.
Once on orbit, LINK will rendezvous with Swift over the course of several months and gradually raise its altitude.
Katalyst planned to repurpose the Link technology demonstration spacecraft to raise Swift’s orbit.
Link’s commissioning process will take about two weeks, followed by two to three weeks to approach Swift.