Last-minute launch problem delays satellite rescue mission for NASA

Last-minute launch problem delays satellite rescue mission for NASA

A Northrop Grumman rocket-launching plane departed from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific on Thursday, following a week of weather-related delays. However, the mission was scrubbed while in flight.

The company stated that the team observed a warning in the data stream while the plane was airborne, leading to the decision not to release the Pegasus rocket strapped to the aircraft's belly. It remains unclear whether the warning originated from the plane or the rocket itself. No new launch date has been established.

The Pegasus rocket is carrying Link, a three-armed robotic spacecraft developed by Katalyst Space Technologies. The mission's objective is to capture the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a 21-year-old spacecraft that has been detecting exploding stars and thousands of gamma ray bursts since its launch in November 2004. Because the satellite is falling out of orbit, it will likely crash back to Earth by October if it does not receive a reboost.

NASA paused the science operations of the Swift Observatory earlier this year to preserve its orbit. In September, the agency hired Katalyst Space for a $30 million salvage operation. The contract required the company to build, test, and launch the rescue mission within a strict nine-month window.

High-Stakes Engineering

The rescue is technically ambitious because the Swift Observatory was never designed to be captured or reboosted. Katalyst Space is attempting its first-ever docking with another satellite in space. Ghonhee Lee, the founder and CEO of Katalyst, noted that the company is trading reliability for time to ensure the mission occurs before the satellite's altitude drops too low for a safe rendezvous.

Lee stated:

"It’s better to put together a functional spacecraft that has a realistic shot pulling off the mission than delaying by two or three months to ensure another 1, 2, 3, 4 percent of reliability,"

Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst, via Ars Technica

The Link spacecraft must navigate several challenges:

• Surface Degradation: The satellite's outer insulation may have cracked like glass due to atomic oxygen exposure, and paint on radiators may be peeling after 22 years of ultraviolet exposure.
• Unknown Configuration: Engineers reported a lack of detailed pre-launch imagery of the satellite's bottom, meaning they do not know exactly which surfaces are grabbable.
• Atmospheric Drag: Active geomagnetic storms from the sun have expanded Earth's atmosphere, increasing air resistance and accelerating the orbital decay of the telescope.

Strategic Launch Choices

Katalyst opted for the air-launched Pegasus XL rather than a SpaceX Falcon 9 for specific orbital requirements. The Swift Observatory flies close to the equator to avoid the South Atlantic Anomaly, a region of high radiation that could contaminate science data. A dedicated Falcon 9 launch would have cost between $65 million and $70 million, whereas the Pegasus system is mobile and capable of reaching unique inclinations.

The Link platform serves as an intermediate step for Katalyst before the development of Nexus, a maneuverable spacecraft designed for the US military to approach, inspect, or service objects in orbit.

If the mission succeeds, the robotic craft will dock with Swift and raise its altitude. If not, the observatory—which cost roughly $500 million to build and operate—will be lost. The mission now faces a narrowing window, as engineers believe the satellite will slip below 200 miles (320 kilometers) by late summer or early fall, a height too low for the company to confidently control the spacecraft.