Tag: on-orbit servicing
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Katalyst Link Spacecraft Hit by Attitude Control Failure
Is the Katalyst Link Spacecraft Still Capable of Rebooting Swift? Two of three reaction wheels have failed on Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link spacecraft — and with NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory sitting at approximately 350 kilometers altitude and falling, the margin for error is shrinking fast. In a July 28 social media update, Katalyst confirmed…
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Commerce Dept Launches Space Commerce Certification Push
Does the U.S. Finally Have a Path to Authorize Novel Space Activities? The Department of Commerce is moving forward without Congress. On July 23, 2026, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Office of Space Commerce (OSC) Director Taylor Jordan announced that OSC will publish a "call for interest" in the Federal Register within coming weeks,…
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Katalyst LINK Launches to Reboost NASA Swift Observatory
Is NASA’s Swift Observatory About to Be Saved by a $30M On-Orbit Servicing Mission? Katalyst Space’s LINK on-orbit servicing spacecraft lifted off at 4:26 a.m. EDT on July 4, 2026, aboard Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, targeting NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory with a mandate to push the aging gamma-ray telescope into a higher, stable…
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NASA’s $30M Swift Rescue Launches on Pegasus XL’s Final Flight
Can NASA’s $30M LINK Satellite Really Save the Swift Observatory? At 4:36 a.m. EDT on July 3, 2026, a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket completed its 45th — and final — mission, air-launching Katalyst Space Technologies’ LINK satellite from the L-1011 Stargazer carrier aircraft above the Marshall Islands. The target: NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory,…
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Space Force Plans 2027 GEO Refueling and Servicing Demos
What orbital servicing capabilities will Space Force demonstrate in 2027? The U.S. Space Force will launch its first operational demonstrations of in-space refueling and satellite servicing in geostationary orbit (GEO) during 2027 under the USSF-23 mission. The mission represents the military’s most ambitious step toward establishing persistent space logistics capabilities at the critical 35,786 km…
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Quindar to Provide Automated Mission Control for Starfish Space’s Otter Servicing Missions
Quindar will supply secure, automated mission control infrastructure to Starfish Space for the first three missions of its Otter satellite servicing vehicle, the companies announced. Starfish Space is developing the Otter spacecraft to provide on-orbit life-extension and end-of-life services for satellites, including docking, maneuvering and disposal support. Quindar said its automation-focused platform will enable Starfish…