SUMMARYNASA awarded Katalyst Space Technologies a $30 million contract in September 2025 to build and launch the Link servicing spacecraft for a rescue mission aimed at the aging Swift astronomy satellite. The small satellite is designed to rendezvous with Swift, grasp it with three robotic arms, and raise its orbit to prevent a crash back to Earth so the observatory can continue scientific work. The mission was proposed and organized in less than a year under a tight budget.
WALLOPS ISLAND, Virginia—Just 10 months ago, NASA asked three companies if they could do something nobody had done before. Could they build and launch a satellite to save a $500 million astronomy mission at risk of crashing back to Earth? What's more, could they do it in less than a year on a tight budget?
Katalyst Space Technologies, a startup founded in 2020, presented the most compelling solution. "They came back with a response that was technically and programmatically plausible, and then we were like, 'Yeah, let’s do it,'" said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA's astrophysics division.
That was in August of last year. In September, NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract to build, test, and launch a small satellite to chase down Swift and latch onto it with three robotic arms. Then, Katalyst's Link servicing spacecraft will boost Swift's orbit back to a safe operating altitude, allowing it to resume scientific observations. Easier said than done.