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Katalyst wraps testing at NASA Goddard for Swift boost mission

phys.org·Jeanette Kazmierczak·24 days ago
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Kieran Wilson, LINK’s principal investigator at Katalyst Space Technologies in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Hunter Robertson, a space systems engineer at Katalyst, stand next to their spacecraft inside the SES (Space Environment Simulator) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., on April 17, 2026, ahead of thermal vacuum testing. During testing in the SES, LINK fired its three ion thrusters, deployed one of its three arms, and experienced space-like hot and cold temperatures. Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts A daring mission to lift NASA's sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is now one step closer to launch this June. On May 4, Katalyst Space Technologies completed environmental tests of its LINK robotic servicing spacecraft at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. LINK will meet up with Swift and attempt to raise its orbit. "The Swift boost attempt is a fast, high-risk, high-reward mission," said John Van Eepoel, Swift's mission director at NASA Goddard.…

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