NASA Swift Rescue Mission: Link Satellite Spins Out of Control

The failure involves a combination of hardware malfunctions and propulsion issues. Additionally, engineers identified problems with the cold gas thrusters used for fine attitude control through sporadic radio contact with the craft.

Katalyst Space Technologies and the Swift Mission

Katalyst Space Technologies is a satellite servicing startup that holds a $30 million contract from NASA. The company’s objective with the Link satellite is to rendezvous with the Swift observatory, a $500 million NASA asset, to grab the observatory and boost its orbit.

The Link satellite is described as being roughly the size of a refrigerator. Its current instability creates a significant technical hurdle, as the multi-axis spin prevents the spacecraft from maintaining a reliable link with the ground, which is necessary for engineers to send the commands required to stop the rotation.

Technical Challenges of Multi-Axis Rotation

Spacecraft typically rely on reaction wheels to rotate without using fuel. When these wheels fail, as occurred with two of the three units on Link, the craft loses its primary method of pointing. The subsequent failure of the cold gas thrusters further limited the options for arresting the spin.

Recovery efforts now depend on the ability of engineers to utilize the remaining functional hardware to stabilize the craft. Because the satellite cannot maintain a steady orientation, the ground team must work with sporadic data transmissions to diagnose the exact state of the thrusters and determine if a recovery sequence can be uploaded and executed.