NASA is paying about $30 million for the under-a-year rescue effort, underscoring the urgency and high stakes of preserving Swift’s science operations.

Katalyst’s chief engineer acknowledged the rapid development and inherent risks of the mission, noting faster builds bring higher uncertainty but urgency to elevate Swift.

Katalyst recently secured a $12 million funding round in June, supported by Fortitude Ventures and Geodesic Capital, with interest from U.S. military sponsors seeking a capable satellite servicing platform.

Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link satellite is experiencing thruster problems and is spinning out of control, disrupting the rescue mission to boost NASA’s Swift Observatory to a higher orbit.

LINK is tasked with approaching, capturing, and lifting Swift to a higher altitude, contingent on successfully recovering Link and updating the mission plan.

For ongoing updates, follow Katalyst’s learnings and NASA’s Swift blog, with links to Katalyst’s mission page and the Swift mission blog.

Despite the setback, both Katalyst and NASA remain hopeful Link can rendezvous with Swift after implementing changes, with other major Link subsystems reportedly functioning normally.

The plan calls for updating guidance, navigation, and control to reflect the current configuration, followed by an approach to Swift and a potential rendezvous.

All major Link subsystems are reportedly functioning, with the spacecraft power-positive and in communication with ground teams.

The collaboration features a rapid, under-one-year development timeline, highlighting the urgency and high-stakes goal of preserving Swift’s scientific capabilities.

Katalyst’s principal investigator emphasized prior experience with power and communications issues, stressing that a basic, functioning spacecraft enables rendezvous and dynamic operations.

Subsystems including communications, propulsion, and robotics are reportedly functioning, with teams focusing on reducing body rates and stabilizing Link using gimbaled electric thrusters.