Katalyst engineers regain control of Link rescue spacecraft
Artist rendering of Link (on left) about to attach to Gehrels-Swift.
Click for original image.
Hopeful news: Using its one working electric thruster, Katalyst engineers have successfully regained control of their Link rescue spacecraft — intended to save the Gehrels-Swift space telescope — and are preparing to upload software that will allow them to continue the mission with just one of four thrusters.
LINK originally was in a multi-axis spin rotating at about 9 degrees per second, which resulted in sporadic communications and impeded LINK’s progress toward Swift. Using a series of burns from one of LINK’s electric propulsion thrusters, the Katalyst team now has slowed that spin to about 1.47 degrees per second.
Katalyst plans to keep LINK at that spin rate as it proceeds with next steps for the mission. This includes uploading a flight software update in the coming days with new attitude controllers designed to maintain LINK’s stability in its current configuration. These updates would allow LINK to begin maneuvering to align with Swift’s orbit.
In every way the Katalyst team has shined so far in this mission. It quickly reconfigured its original demo satellite rescue mission into a Swift rescue, won the contract in November 2025, got Link built and ready for launch by June, and now have successfully recovered the spacecraft. Even if the eventual rescue fails, they have demonstrated their ability to do stellar engineering, under duress.
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What these guys have done and continue to do is quite reminiscent of the prodigies of “cowboy engineering” from early days of SpaceX as so well-described in Eric Berger’s books Liftoff and Re-Entry. Higher praise one cannot bestow on a technical organization.
“Steely-eyed missilemen”
I’ll agree to that. Robert’s comment: “demonstrated their ability to do stellar engineering, under duress” pretty much defines the term.
I like the use of the word “stellar” in this story :)
I hope it has enough fuel and energy left to at least attempt the attachment and release.