The Satellite Rescue Mission is Tested Out
The Swift satellite was launched in 2004 to study an explosion that happened in space. [nice addition!] It cost NASA about $500 million to build, and it is now 21 years old and still in space. If it drops below 186 miles away from Earth, the atmosphere will pull it in, which causes the Swift satellite to burn up. NASA is working with Katalyst Space Technologies to build a craft that can save this satellite. Usually, a project like this would take a few years, but NASA and Katalyst finished this in one year. They called their creation the LIFT satellite.
Due to the Swift satellite’s position, the LIFT craft needs to be sent to space in a different way from usual satellites. Instead of just using a rocket, they used a Pegasus XL rocket connected to a big airplane. When the plane reached an altitude of 40000 feet, it would drop the Pegasus XL rocket, which would blast off in mid-air.
Scientists are concerned that this won’t work because the Swift satellite wasn’t made for grabbing onto, which can cause the LIFT craft some problems. They are also concerned about how much insulation the Swift satellite has. The insulation is the material that keeps this satellite at the right temperature. If there isn’t enough, the satellite will malfunction.
If everything works out, scientists estimate that the Swift satellite will stay in space for 10 more years. The Swift satellite actually lasted 10 times longer than the rocket engineers expected when it first blasted off in 2004.
