Katalyst Space is hauling the Swift Observatory back up before it burns

The Swift Observatory launched in 2004 — it's been circling Earth for over two decades. Recent solar storms have been pushing its orbit lower, and the satellite is now in danger of burning up as soon as this year. No propulsion of its own, no way to climb back up.

NASA called in Katalyst Space Technologies to fix it. Link launched Friday on a rescue mission. The spacecraft uses a three-armed design to grapple Swift and boost its orbit by about 150 miles, from 224 miles up to its original altitude. If it works, Swift survives another few years. If it misses, we lose the observatory.

Why this matters for us: a 22-year-old satellite caught by a small company with a mechanical arm — this is how space infrastructure is actually getting maintained now, not by the big players but by the ones nimble enough to show up with the right tool.