Right now, Swift is circling at an altitude of 224 miles, and Link is aiming to raise that by about 150 miles. | Image: NASA/Scott Wiessinger
The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004, but recent solar storms have pushed its orbit lower, and it’s in danger of burning up in Earth’s atmosphere as soon as this year. The company’s Link spacecraft launched Friday with the goal of intercepting Swift, which has no propulsion system, and boosting its orbit back to its original position. To try and stave off its demise, NASA has enlisted Katalyst Space Technologies. .
