Robotic Rescue for NASA's Swift

Sacramento News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jun 28, 2026 · 2m

NASA’s aging Swift Observatory, a cosmic explosion hunter since 2004, is plummeting toward Earth—unless a daring $30 million robotic rescue, led by startup Katalyst, succeeds. Launched from the Marshall Islands, the three-armed space robot aims to grab Swift before it falls below 185 miles by October. Built for repairs, not rescue, Swift was never meant to be saved—yet NASA’s gamble to turn off its instruments to slow descent underscores how vital it is. If successful, Swift could return to science by September, while Katalyst’s tech may one day save Hubble—and revolutionize space…