A private spacecraft recently made a close approach to NASA's Swift Observatory, despite the official cancellation of the mission to rescue the telescope. Developed by Katalyst Space Technologies, the spacecraft, named Link, came within nine miles of Swift and captured images, the company reported. The mission was initially intended to retrieve the aging telescope, but it was called off in August due to orbital challenges faced by the spacecraft itself. However, Katalyst saw the opportunity as a way to test and prepare for future satellite servicing missions. The Link spacecraft was launched in July but encountered an unexpected uncontrollable spin shortly after liftoff. Flight controllers managed to stabilize it, but the corrective maneuver consumed a large amount of fuel. This left the spacecraft without enough fuel to perform the main task of lifting the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit. Katalyst's CEO, Ghonhee Lee, explained that the mission's problems stemmed from its rapid development timeline—completed in just nine months—and the use of parts that were not the preferred choices. NASA paid $30 million for the attempt, which was framed as a low-risk experiment to explore new technologies. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman acknowledged that the mission did not achieve its primary goal but praised the effort, saying it was the kind of mission NASA should be pursuing. He noted that extending the life of valuable spacecraft can make sense if the cost of repairing or refueling them is less than building a new one. This approach is particularly relevant for future missions, such as the Roman Space Telescope, which was designed to be refuelable, even though it will travel to a distant observation point 1 million miles away from Earth. Katalyst's Link spacecraft likely lacks the fuel for another close approach to Swift, but it can still continue testing its robotic arms and gathering data before reentering Earth's atmosphere in the coming month. Meanwhile, NASA has resumed using the Swift Observatory after a brief pause earlier this year to conserve power. The telescope's remaining time in orbit depends on solar activity, which has caused it to descend faster than expected. NASA expects Swift to reenter Earth's atmosphere between October and the end of the year. Similar solar effects have also impacted the orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope. Katalyst is currently working on a next-generation spacecraft that could potentially extend Hubble's operational life. Lee emphasized that servicing and extending the life of old telescopes and satellites is becoming increasingly common in the space industry.