Nasa turns to robotic spacecraft to save telescope from falling back to Earth

Nasa is racing to save an ageing telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission. The US$30 million salvage operation gets under way as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver. Nasa hired start-up Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit where it can continue hunting for some of the universe’s biggest explosions. A three-armed spacecraft built by Katalyst will chase after Swift once it takes off from an atoll in th...

By Associated Press

Nasa launches high-stakes mission to save ageing telescope Swift from falling to Earth

The mission will be carried out by US startup Katalyst Space Technologies, which won the NASA contract last September. Its three-armed robotic spacecraft, named Lift, will launch aboard an air-launched Pegasus rocket from the Marshall Islands before spending about a month chasing down Swift in orbit. Swift has been observing the universe since 2004.

By TOI SCIENCE DESK

NASA's $30 Million Mission To Save Telescope From Falling Back To Earth

The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver.