# LINK

Type: Company

Source: Space & Defense Intelligence Brief — https://getspacebrief.com/entity/link-company
Canonical HTML page: https://getspacebrief.com/entity/link-company

## Timeline

- **2026-08-19**: Rescue mission abandoned — NASA announces ongoing LINK attitude control system problems will prevent it from capturing and boosting Swift; reentry expected later in 2026.
- **2026-07-03**: LINK launches on Pegasus XL — Katalyst's LINK servicing spacecraft launches on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket to attempt an orbit boost for Swift.
- **2026**: Swift reentry expected — NASA expects Swift to reenter Earth's atmosphere later in 2026 as end-of-life planning continues.
- **2025-09**: $30M servicing contract awarded — NASA awards Katalyst Space Technologies a $30 million contract to develop and launch a robotic servicing mission for Swift in less than a year.
- **2004**: Swift launch — NASA launches the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to study gamma-ray bursts and transient cosmic phenomena.

## Recent coverage (1 stories)

### NASA Ends Swift Rescue: $30M Servicing Demo Fails in Orbit
2026-08-20 01:15:32 · Sentiment: Negative · Impact: 7/10 · Sources: 2

NASA's $30M bid to extend the life of the Swift gamma-ray telescope ended when Katalyst's LINK servicing craft could not overcome attitude-control failures in a 216-mile orbit, leaving a gap in rapid-response astrophysics and testing confidence in orbital servicing startups.
Full story: https://getspacebrief.com/story/nasa-ends-swift-rescue-30m-servicing-demo-fails

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