2026年7月3日 / 美国东部时间上午8:36 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
美国一家小公司与美国国家航空航天局（NASA）和诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司合作，于周五启动了一项实验性太空拖船任务，这是一场低成本高风险的赌博，目的是追踪并捕获一颗即将坠落的太空望远镜——否则这台望远镜将在年底前坠入地球并烧毁。
拖船将使用小型机械臂锁定这台价值2.5亿美元的尼尔·盖尔勒斯·斯威夫特天文台，尝试将卫星推升至安全轨道，为它续命，使其能够继续观测宇宙中最剧烈的爆炸，并继续充当后续观测天文台的“第一响应者”。
当然，前提是这场赌博能成功。
诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司的“观星者”号喷气式飞机——最后一架仍在服役的L-1011运输机，从NASA位于弗吉尼亚州瓦勒普斯岛的飞行测试设施起飞，前往南太平洋马绍尔群岛，发射搭载着Katalyst太空公司LINK太空拖船的飞马座XL火箭。（NASA 供图）
Katalyst太空公司在与NASA签订的一份价值3000万美元的合同下，仅用8个月就设计、建造并测试了LINK卫星，该合同还包含了诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司提供的空射飞马座XL助推器和运载飞机的成本——对于这样一项雄心勃勃的任务而言，价格堪称“白菜价”。
由于恶劣天气和软件故障，任务推迟了三天。美国东部时间凌晨4点36分，LINK及其助推器从诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司的L-1011喷气式飞机上释放，从南太平洋马绍尔群岛上空4万英尺的高度如炸弹般坠落。
NASA证实，助推器的三个固体燃料级按计划点火，将卫星送入轨道，并表示飞行控制人员将在确认LINK的太阳能帆板按预期展开后，开始详细的检测操作。
LINK航天器在发射时太阳能板处于折叠状态，这张照片拍摄于它与诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司的飞马座XL火箭对接后。（NASA 供图）
假设一切顺利，控制人员将花费数周时间检查航天器系统，随后启动与斯威夫特望远镜的实际交会程序。如果一切进展顺利，LINK航天器将使用三个机械臂锁定一个发射前用于将卫星固定在地面运输装置上的法兰盘。
随后，低功耗但高效的离子推进器将开始点火，将望远镜推升至约370英里的高度，将其任务寿命再延长10年左右。整个重新推进任务预计需要10至12周完成。
“Katalyst团队仅用8个月就完成了这项工作，堪称非凡，”Katalyst太空公司首席执行官权希（Ghonhee Lee）在公司网站上表示。“该团队设计、建造、测试并集成了一艘机器人航天器，能够执行有史以来最具雄心的商业在轨服务任务之一。”
为什么要加速推进这项任务？
“如果我们不采取行动，斯威夫特将在今年年底脱离轨道，”NASA总部天体物理学主任肖恩·多马加尔-戈德曼（Shawn Domagal-Goldman）告诉哥伦比亚广播公司新闻。“时间正在流逝。”
一张艺术家绘制的想象图，展示了LINK航天器锁定NASA体积大得多的尼尔·盖尔勒斯·斯威夫特天文台，为其提供助推以返回安全轨道的场景。（Katalyst太空公司 供图）
那么，为什么要大费周章地延长一台已经比原计划寿命多运行了20年的卫星的寿命呢？
斯威夫特望远镜于2004年发射，原本旨在扫描深空，寻找伽马射线暴释放的高能辐射——这是宇宙自140多亿年前大爆炸诞生以来最强大的爆炸现象。
伽马射线暴被认为是由大质量恒星核心坍缩引发的超新星爆炸触发，过程中可能形成黑洞；或是由两颗高密度中子星碰撞产生，其能量足以锻造出连大爆炸都无法生成的重元素。
“斯威夫特的设计初衷是研究伽马射线暴，这种转瞬即逝的高能光闪在短短几秒内释放的能量，比太阳整个生命周期释放的总能量还要多，”斯威夫特望远镜首席研究员布拉德·森科（Brad Cenko）说道。
“自2004年发射以来，它在这方面取得了巨大成功，探测到了超过2000个此类辐射源，最远可达可见宇宙的边缘，并帮助证实了周期表上绝大多数重元素，包括我们首饰中的金和铂，都是在这类事件中形成的。”
一张斯威夫特天文台救援任务的时间线图表。（Katalyst太空公司 供图）
斯威夫特望远镜的设计寿命为两年，但在过去20年里，由于与延伸至近地轨道区域的极端上层大气微量气体相互作用，它一直在缓慢降低轨道高度。
太阳风暴会加热大气，导致大气周期性膨胀，增加对航天器的“阻力”，而斯威夫特并未配备推进器来抵消这种向下的拉力。
目前，这台天文台正以每月约5英里的速度坠落，随着它逐渐坠入上层大气更浓密的区域，下降速度将缓慢但必然地加快。预计到10月，这颗卫星的轨道高度将降至186英里。
“目前我们认为，还有几个月的时间，斯威夫特的轨道高度足够高，能让Katalyst团队有很大机会捕获并推动我们，”森科说道。
Katalyst太空公司此前一直在研发机器人卫星救援和在轨服务系统，而NASA则将斯威夫特的重新推进任务视为测试这项技术的理想方式，同时还有可能恢复一台极具价值的科学卫星的服役能力。
最终成果便是LINK航天器：这是一艘重940磅的航天器，配备三台氙离子发动机、可产生4千瓦电力的太阳能板、三个机械臂、16个姿态控制推进器，以及一套复杂的传感器和其他系统，专门用于交会对接和捕获斯威夫特所需的“近距离操作”。
“没人认为这会成为可能，”多马加尔-戈德曼说道。“没人认为我们能走到今天这一步。老实说，我们前方仍存在风险。但我既心怀感激，又尽我所能地乐观，相信我们能够应对这些挑战。”
斯威夫特太空望远镜配备了三台协同工作的仪器，用于观测伽马射线暴，捕捉伽马射线、X射线和紫外线辐射。
这颗航天器最初被命名为“斯威夫特”，因为它能够快速发现目标并迅速调整姿态锁定伽马射线暴，在这些辐射源从视野中消失前，将精确位置数据无线电传输给其他天文台，以便开展协同观测。
飞马座XL火箭被运送至约4万英尺的高度，随后从诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司的“观星者”运载飞机上投放。此后，这枚三级固体燃料火箭将在约14分钟内爬升至近地轨道。（诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司 供图）
“哈勃太空望远镜比斯威夫特灵敏度更高，拍摄的图像也更清晰，”森科说道。“但在最佳情况下，哈勃重新瞄准目标至少需要一到两天时间，而斯威夫特通常能在几分钟内对夜空中出现的异常现象进行后续观测。
“它确实是NASA的‘第一响应者’，通过这种互补的合作方式，NASA的天体物理学项目能够解决任何单一设施都无法回答的问题。”
Katalyst太空公司对斯威夫特的重新推进任务抱有很高期望。该公司计划开发一系列机器人航天器，未来不仅可用于为老化卫星提升轨道，还可为高价值民用和军用航天器加注燃料甚至进行维修，否则这些航天器可能会失效或丢失。
同样的技术，在更大规模下，未来或许也可用于为缓慢坠落的哈勃望远镜提升轨道高度。这台全球最著名的太空望远镜目前已进入其历史性任务的第36个年头，如果不采取任何措施，预计将在21世纪30年代坠入地球大气层。
“Katalyst的存在，其实是为了标志着那种‘一次性使用’航天模式的终结，以及新模式的开端，”Katalyst太空公司战略合作伙伴副总裁罗伯特·拉蒙塔涅（Robert Lamontagne）说道。“你应该能够为卫星加注燃料、重新定位、改造、维修甚至升级，哪怕它们从设计之初就未考虑过这些操作。”
Mission launched to save falling Swift space telescope
July 3, 2026 / 8:36 AM EDT / CBS News
In a low-cost, high-risk gamble, a small company in partnership with NASA and Northrop Grumman launched an experimental space tug Friday to hunt down and grab a falling space telescope that otherwise would plunge back to Earth and burn up by year’s end.
Using small robot arms to lock onto the $250 million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the tug will attempt to boost the satellite back up to a safe altitude, giving it a new lease on life spotting the most violent explosions in the universe and continuing its role as a “first responder” for follow-on observatories.
If the gamble pays off, that is.
Northrop Grumman’s “Stargazer” jet, the last operational L-1011 transport plane, takes off from NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia, flight test facility and heads for the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean to launch a Pegasus XL rocket carrying Katalyst Space’s LINK space tug. NASA
Katalyst Space designed, built and tested the LINK satellite in just eight months under a $30 million contract with NASA that included the cost of its air-launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL booster and carrier jet — a bargain-basement price for such an ambitious mission.
Running three days late because of bad weather and a software snag, the LINK and its booster were released from Northrop Grumman’s L-1011 jet at 4:36 a.m. ET, dropping like a bomb from an altitude of 40,000 feet above the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
NASA confirmed the booster’s three solid-fuel stages fired as planned to put the satellite in orbit, saying flight controllers will begin detailed checkout operations after confirming LINK’s solar arrays deployed as expected.
The LINK spacecraft, its solar panels folded for launch, is seen here after attachment to its Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. NASA
Assuming no problems, controllers will spend several weeks checking out the spacecraft’s systems before kicking off the actual rendezvous with Swift. If all goes well, the LINK spacecraft will use three robotic arms to lock onto a flange that was used before launch to secure LINK for ground transport.
Low-power, but efficient, ion thrusters then will start firing to begin boosting the telescope up to an altitude of around 370 miles, extending its mission another 10 years or so. The entire reboost mission is expected to take 10 to 12 weeks to complete.
“What the Katalyst team has accomplished in just eight months is extraordinary,” Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space, said on the company’s web site. “The team designed, built, tested and integrated a robotic spacecraft capable of performing one of the most ambitious commercial servicing missions ever attempted.”
Why the accelerated timeline?
“If we don’t do something, Swift will come out of orbit by the end of this calendar year,” Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of astrophysics at NASA Headquarters, told CBS News. “The clock is ticking.”
An artist’s impression of the LINK spacecraft after locking onto NASA’s much larger Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory for a needed booster back to a safe orbit. Katalyst Space
And why go to all this trouble to extend the life of a satellite that has already lasted two decades longer than originally planned?
Launched in 2004, Swift was built to scan deep space, on the lookout for the high-energy radiation emitted by gamma ray bursts, the most powerful explosions since the big bang birth of the universe more than 14 billion years ago.
Gamma ray bursts are thought to be triggered by the collapsing cores of massive stars in supernova explosions, possibly creating black holes in the process, or when two high-density neutron stars collide, generating energies high enough to forge the heavy elements that even the big bang could not produce.
“Swift was designed to study gamma ray bursts, short-lived flashes of high-energy light that release more energy in just a few seconds than the sun will in its entire lifetime,” said Brad Cenko, Swift’s principal investigator.
“Since launching in 2004, it’s been extremely successful in this regard, detecting over two thousand of these sources all the way out to the edge of the visible universe, and helping confirm that most of the heaviest elements in the periodic table, including the gold and platinum in our jewelry, are forged in these systems.”
A graphic timeline of the Swift Observatory rescue mission. Katalyst Space
Designed for a two-year mission, Swift has been slowly falling to lower and lower altitudes over the past two decades because of interactions with traces of the extreme upper atmosphere that extend out into the realm of low-Earth orbit.
Solar storms can heat up the atmosphere, periodically causing it to swell, increasing the “drag” on the spacecraft, and Swift is not equipped with thrusters to counteract that downward pull.
The observatory currently is falling about five miles per month, a descent that will slowly but surely pick up speed as it drops lower and lower into thicker regions of the upper atmosphere. The satellite is predicted to reach an altitude of 186 miles in October.
“At the moment, we think we have several months where Swift will be at a sufficiently high altitude to give the Katalyst folks a great chance to capture and boost us,” Cenko said.
Katalyst Space was already working on robotic satellite rescue and servicing systems and NASA saw the Swift reboost mission as an ideal way to test the technology while at the same time possibly restoring a valuable science satellite to service.
The result was LINK, a 940-pound spacecraft with three xenon-fueled ion engines, solar panels that can generate 4 kilowatts of power, three robot arms, 16 orientation control thrusters and a complex suite of sensors and other systems focused on rendezvous and the “proximity operations” required for capturing Swift.
“No one thought it was going to be possible,” said Domagal-Goldman. “No one thought we would get as far as we’ve already gotten today, and I have to be honest, there are still risks ahead of us. But I’m both deeply thankful and as optimistic as I can be that we’ll meet those challenges.”
The Swift space telescope is equipped with three instruments that work together to observe GRBs, capturing gamma rays, X-rays and ultraviolet emissions.
The spacecraft was originally named “Swift” because it can spot and rapidly re-orient itself to lock onto a GRB, radioing precise location data to other observatories for coordinated observations before the objects fade from view.
The Pegasus XL rocket is carried to an altitude of about 40,000 feet where it is dropped from Northrop Grumman’s “Stargazer” carrier jet. From there, the three-stage solid-fuel rocket climbs to low-Earth orbit in about 14 minutes. Northrop Grumman
“The Hubble Space Telescope is much more sensitive than Swift, and it takes much crisper pictures,” Cenko said. “But Hubble takes at least one to two days to repoint to a target of interest in the best case scenario where Swift can routinely conduct follow up of things that go bump in the night within minutes.
“It really is NASA’s ‘first responder,’ and by working together in this complementary manner, the NASA astrophysics portfolio can tackle questions that would be impossible for any single facility to answer.”
Katalyst Space has high hopes for the Swift reboost mission. The company plans a variety of robotic spacecraft that one day could be used to not only reboost aging satellites, but also refuel and even repair high-value civilian and military spacecraft that otherwise could be disabled or lost.
The same technology, at a much larger scale, could perhaps be used at some point to boost the slowly falling Hubble back up to a safe altitude. The world’s most famous space telescope, now 36 years into its historic mission, is expected to re-enter the atmosphere in the 2030s if nothing is done.
“Katalyst is here really to kind of mark the end of that throwaway model and the start of a new model,” said Robert Lamontagne, Katalyst vice president of strategic partnerships. “You should be able to refuel, reposition, repurpose, repair and even upgrade satellites, even if they were never prepared for it.”