NASA plans $30 million mission to intercept Swift telescope before reentry
NASA is preparing a robotic salvage operation to prevent the Swift telescope from falling back toward Earth. The mission, valued at approximately $30 million, may begin as early as this week.
Amalgamated from NY Post (opens in new tab), CBS News (opens in new tab)
NASA is preparing a rescue mission to intercept the Swift telescope before it falls back toward Earth. Both CBS News and the NY Post report that the agency plans to launch a robotic craft to secure the spacecraft as part of an active salvage operation.
The mission is estimated to cost approximately $30 million. According to reports from both news outlets, the deployment of this robotic system is scheduled to begin as early as this week. The primary goal of the maneuver is to intercept the telescope and prevent it from re-entering Earth's atmosphere in an uncontrolled manner.
Why this matters
The successful execution of this mission would preserve a significant scientific instrument for continued astronomical research while preventing the telescope from entering the atmosphere as uncontrolled debris.
What's confirmed / what isn't
Both CBS News and the NY Post confirm the $30 million cost, the use of a robotic craft for the rescue, and the timeline starting as early as this week.
Background
The Neil Armstrong Swift Observatory was launched in 2004 and is used by scientists to detect and study gamma-ray bursts and other high-energy cosmic events.