Sometimes we can all use a little help from a friend . NASA 's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory needs a boost to stay in orbit after almost 22 years of service. This video shows an artist's visualization of the Swift Boost Mission : The Katalyst 's LINK spacecraft was launched aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on July 3 and it is now en route to rendezvous with Swift and boost it to a higher orbit over the course of the next several months . This type of maneuver has never been attempted before . If successful, it will be the technology demonstration of a new key capability to extended the lifetime of spacecraft in low Earth orbit, whose orbits decay over time . Swift has an array of instruments that observe the most energetic explosions in the Universe in gamma-rays, X-rays and ultraviolet, and the unique ability to repoint in their direction within tens of seconds . Astronomers around the world, and indeed all fans of cosmic explosions, are anxiously hoping for a successful mission!
Media Credits & Attribution
Image Credit: Katalyst Space Text: Cecilia Chirenti ( NASA GSFC , UMCP , CRESST II )