After reboosting Swift, Link will detach and use its remaining xenon propellant to lower its own orbit and speed its reentry.
The launch window for the Swift servicing mission opens no earlier than 6:23 a.m. Eastern Time from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The Link spacecraft will perform orbital phasing burns over a six-week period to match Swift’s orbital velocity and vector.
The Link spacecraft is calculated to raise the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory by 100 miles, or 160 km.
Link will conduct low-thrust orbital maintenance burns over a span of two months after docking with Swift.
NASA reoriented Swift to minimize drag, which slowed orbital decay but required shutting down most of its science instruments.
NASA awarded Katalyst Space a $30 million contract through the Small Business Innovation Research program to develop the Swift reboost mission.
Katalyst selected Pegasus XL because it could reach Swift’s orbit and offered the reliability and schedule capability needed for the time-sensitive launch.
Link has three robotic arms, and the reboost can work even if only one arm attaches to Swift.
Swift’s passive orientation maneuvers slowed its descent by an estimated 25 miles.
If Link grapples Swift, it will use Hall Effect thrusters to raise Swift’s orbit over the next three months to 550 to 600 kilometers.
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies are scheduled to launch an orbital servicing mission for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory on June 30, 2026.
Brad Cenko directed Swift to halt scientific imaging and execute passive orientation maneuvers in early 2026.
Swift’s low Earth orbit has been decaying because of atmospheric drag enhanced by peak solar activity.
The mission aims to arrest the atmospheric decay of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and prevent a destructive atmospheric re-entry projected within the next few months.
The orbital restoration is projected to extend the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s operational lifespan by an additional decade.
NASA required the Swift reboost mission to launch before Swift’s orbit decayed to about 300 kilometers.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has no onboard propulsion system for orbital maintenance.
Wallops supported spacecraft integration and Pegasus integration within weeks for the Swift Boost Mission.
The actual launch of the Swift Boost Mission is likely near the middle of the June 30 launch window.