THIS space telescope could crash any time. NASA will launch a spacecraft from plane to save it

NASA is preparing to launch a spacecraft not from the ground but from a plane after it is carried to space on a Pegasus XL rocket. The mission is intended to prevent a telescope from falling to Earth, something that will happen by June this year if nothing is done about it. The space agency has only about two months to avert this danger and so has come up with this offbeat plan. The telescope in question is the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. It was launched on November 20, 2004, and has been observing the universe for 22 years. However, its orbit is now thinning and increasing the drag on it, putting the telescope in danger of falling to Earth. This happens because of the Earth's atmosphere, which doesn't just vanish when we cross into space. It is present, albeit it is much thinner. This exerts a slight but steady drag, slowly pulling orbiting spacecraft closer to Earth. Solar storms can worsen the conditions, increasing the drag. Our Sun is in a period of solar maximum, which has led to several flares and geomagnetic storms, and Neil Gehrels is apparently paying the price.

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According to NASA, the chances of the telescope crashing by June 2026 stood at 50 per cent in November 2025, and there is a 90 per cent chance of that happening before 2027. So it had to come up with a plan fast. It entrusted the responsibility of ensuring it does not happen to Katalyst, a company that has built a $30 million robotic spacecraft, which will carry Swift and place it in a more stable orbit. Named LINK, it has been undergoing testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center since April 14. S. Bradley Cenko, Swift’s principal investigator at NASA Goddard, said in a statement that "NASA awarded Katalyst a contract to attempt to boost Swift with the company’s LINK satellite", and "the teams are creating the best opportunity possible to extend Swift’s lifetime."

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LINK will be launched from space into space

In the meantime, the Swift team turned off instruments on the observatory to reduce power consumption. They repositioned its solar panels to reduce drag, handing scientists more time to fix the problem. There is no official word on when LINK will launch, although engineers have come up with an interesting plan. Instead of shooting from the ground to space, the spacecraft will be carried on a Pegasus XL rocket developed by Northrop Grumman and will be launched from a plane. This is because the set-up at the US spaceports does not allow for a simple trajectory to reach Swift. Scientists are hoping to extend the lifespan of the space observatory and create a blueprint in the process for how humans operate in space.

“Swift is still producing valuable scientific data," Ghonhee Lee, Katalyst’s chief executive officer, said, adding, "NASA is leading the shift toward more flexible ways of operating in space by working with companies like Katalyst to get more out of its missions and deliver the best return for taxpayers."