Overview
- LINK reached orbit on Friday, July 3, after a Pegasus XL rocket was air‑released from the Stargazer over Kwajalein Atoll and is now completing on‑orbit checkouts ahead of approach operations.
- Mission teams plan to spend weeks surveying Swift, then attempt an autonomous grapple with LINK’s three robotic arms roughly three to four weeks after launch and, if capture succeeds, perform a gradual two‑to‑three‑month ion‑thrust reboost.
- NASA awarded Katalyst about $30 million in September 2025 and the company designed, built and tested LINK in roughly nine months to meet a narrow window before Swift could reenter as early as October without intervention.
- Key technical risks include Swift’s lack of built‑in grapple fixtures, likely degradation of its multilayer insulation, and further solar activity that could accelerate drag or complicate rendezvous and boost maneuvers.
- If successful, the mission would extend Swift’s scientific life by years and validate faster, lower‑cost commercial on‑orbit servicing that could be applied to other aging satellites such as Hubble.