NASA Saves a Unique Space Telescope from Crashing into Earth
NASA is preparing an unprecedented space mission to save the Swift telescope, which, after nearly 22 years of operation, has begun to rapidly lose altitude and is approaching Earth’s atmosphere. If the operation fails, the observatory will burn up upon re-entry.
Launched in 2004, the telescope has become one of the most important instruments for studying gamma-ray bursts. It was Swift that helped confirm that gold, platinum, and other heavy elements are formed during cosmic explosions, and in 2022, it recorded the brightest gamma-ray burst in history—BOAT (Brightest Of All Time).
NASA is investing about $30 million to save the telescope. A specially designed service spacecraft, Link, is set to catch up with Swift, grab it with robotic arms, and gradually raise it to a higher orbit.
If the mission is successful, it will be the first time in history that an aging space telescope has been saved from reentry by being moved to a new orbit.
Source: Space.com.
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