Скачать или смотреть NASA Swift Space Telescope Rescue Mission: Launch on Pegasus Rocket in 2026

NASA space telescope rescue, Swift Observatory, orbital boost, private mission, Katalyst Space Technologies, Pegasus rocket, air-launched from plane.
Discover the groundbreaking plan to save NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a vital space telescope orbiting dangerously low after 20 years in space. Learn how Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies will use a robotic spacecraft to capture and boost the telescope's orbit, preventing it from crashing to Earth by 2026. This historic mission launches on Northrop Grumman's Pegasus XL rocket, dropped from an L-1011 Stargazer aircraft.
Explore the details: Swift has studied gamma-ray bursts since 2004, but its orbit decayed from 373 miles to 249 miles. Without thrusters, frictional drag accelerates its descent. Katalyst's $30 million mission involves a 770-pound spacecraft with robotic arms to carefully capture the unserviced telescope, then haul it back to its original height for another 22 years of operation.
Key facts include the Pegasus rocket's history, Katalyst's experience from 2024 launches, and future plans for geostationary missions. This first-ever private capture of a U.S. government satellite could revolutionize responsive space servicing.
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