Katalyst Space Technologies' Link satellite suffered a thruster malfunction, going into an uncontrollable spin that disrupted communication. The trouble struck over the weekend, three weeks after the three-armed robotic spacecraft launched into orbit, reports infohub.kz.
The startup company said it is working nonstop to recover Link and capture Swift to boost the telescope to a higher orbit. Without help, Swift will crash back to Earth this fall. NASA is paying $30 million for the rescue effort, which was thrown together in under a year.
Launched in 2004, Swift is descending faster than expected due to recent solar activity. It needs a lift as soon as possible to continue scanning the universe for gamma-ray bursts and exploded stars. Scientific observations are on hold until then.
Neither Katalyst nor NASA is giving up hope. All of Link's other major subsystems appear to be working normally, according to the company. "The mission remains active and we continue to believe that with these changes, Link has a viable path to rendezvous with Swift," Katalyst said in a statement.