The robot NASA hired to lift a orbital telescope is tumbling out of control
Quick Answer
NASA's Katalyst Space robot, launched to elevate the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, is now tumbling uncontrollably due to failures in two of its three reaction wheels and thruster issues.
Quick Take
The mission aimed to extend the observatory's operational life beyond its expected lifespan, but communication has been hampered as the spacecraft spins out of control.
Key Points
- The LINK spacecraft launched on July 3 aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket.
- Two of the three reaction wheels have failed, causing control issues.
- Flight controllers are attempting to stabilize the spacecraft using alternate thrusters.
- Katalyst raised $12 million in funding to support this mission.
- The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004 to observe transient space events.
DeepSignal Analysis
What happened
NASA's Katalyst Space robot, intended to elevate the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, is currently tumbling uncontrollably. This situation arose due to failures in two of its three reaction wheels and issues with a thruster system, complicating communication with the spacecraft.
Key evidence
- The Katalyst Space robot was launched on July 3, 2026, aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket to assist the Swift Observatory.
- NASA reported that two of the three reaction wheels controlling the spacecraft's alignment have failed, leading to its uncontrollable spin.
- Katalyst raised $12 million in June 2026 to support this mission, with backing from investors including Fortitude Ventures and Geodesic Capital.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the risks associated with rapidly developed space missions, particularly when private companies are involved. The failure of critical systems in a short timeframe raises questions about the reliability of such missions and the potential implications for future collaborations between NASA and private entities.
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A Katalyst Space robot that was launched to grab on to a space telescope and raise it to a higher orbit is now tumbling out of control, NASA and the company said today.
The mission is the first time the space agency has hired a private company to lift one of its observatories to a higher orbit, allowing the observatory to continue operations beyond its expected lifespan.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory was launched in 2004, with the ability to swiftly point at ephemeral space events like gamma ray bursts. The spacecraft has been pulled back toward Earth and needs to be pushed back up to a higher orbit to continue doing its job.
The LINK spacecraft was launched into space on July 3 on board a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket. Over the past several weeks, flight controllers have worked to commission the spacecraft, activating its various systems before it heads off to rendezvous with Swift.
However, the spacecraft suffered issues controlling itself and began spinning over the weekend, making communications difficult as its antenna flips away from the planet. According to NASA, two of the three reaction wheels that control the spacecraft’s alignment have failed, and there are problems with one of the spacecraft’s thruster systems.
Flight controllers are working to recover the spacecraft using another set of thrusters on the spacecraft to slow the spin, and they said in a statement that “we have already begun this series of burns and are seeing the intended effect.”
Katalyst’s Kieran Wilson, the chief engineer for the mission, told reporters ahead of the mission that the spacecraft had been built incredibly quickly because of the urgent need to raise Swift in the next few months.
“All this is challenging and risky,” he said at the time. “There’re a lot of spacecraft that have had far longer development cycles with far more funding behind them that have failed for mundane reasons.”
Katalyst raised a $12 million round in June to help support this mission, backed by investors Fortitude Ventures and Geodesic Capital. The company has also won funding from the U.S. military, which is interested in a dynamic vehicle that can service satellites or surveil rival spacecraft.
Topics
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Tim Fernholz is a journalist who writes about technology, finance and public policy. He has closely covered the rise of the private space industry and is the author of Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the New Space Race. Formerly, he was a senior reporter at Quartz, the global business news site, for more than a decade, and began his career as a political reporter in Washington, D.C. You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing tim.fernholz@techcrunch.com or via an encrypted message to tim_fernholz.21 on Signal.
— Originally published at techcrunch.com
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