NASA launches rescue mission to save telescope falling back to Earth

science astronomy space programs

The Swift observatory, launched in 2004, is sinking faster than ever toward Earth. Recent solar storms have affected the telescope, putting it in danger of crashing back to Earth and burning up.

In response, a NASA-funded robot has blasted into orbit to rescue the falling telescope. This three-armed spacecraft is rushing to intercept the observatory in mid-orbit.

The spacecraft, known as LINK from Katalyst Space, is specifically designed to capture Swift. Once it secures the telescope, LINK will boost it back to a safe altitude.

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