NASA reviews failed rescue mission for Swift observatory

Katalyst Space Technologies' Link satellite, launched July 3 under a $30 million NASA contract, failed to rendezvous with the Swift observatory after a reaction wheel fault and an unresponsive RCS valve. The reboost mission was aborted, but NASA and Katalyst are reviewing lessons for future rapid satellite rescues.

• NASA's contract with Katalyst to rescue Swift was worth $30 million
• Link launched July 3 and malfunctioned a few weeks later
• Swift has operated since 2004 with no propulsion of its own
• NASA gave Katalyst nine months to build the satellite