tech
Here's how engineers plan to save the satellite sent to save NASA's Swift mission
We believe that a capture of Swift, an attempted capture of Swift, is very much in the cards.
TL;DR
- The Link satellite, sent to rescue NASA's Swift observatory, lost control and began spinning uncontrollably.
- Two of the satellite's three reaction wheels and some cold gas thrusters malfunctioned.
- A fault protection reset, intended to recover the satellite, caused a thermal spike that damaged reaction wheel electronics.
- Katalyst engineers are using the satellite's electric propulsion system to slow its spin rate and regain attitude control.
- New control algorithms are being developed to manage the spacecraft's orientation using its remaining functional systems.
- Despite the issues, Katalyst still aims to rendezvous with and attempt to capture the Swift observatory.
- The mission timeline is critical, as Swift is descending and will soon be too low for a rescue attempt.
- The cause of the initial malfunction is under investigation, with possibilities including internal issues or space debris collision.