NASA Cancels Its Rescue Mission for the Aging Swift Telescope
NASA Cancels Its Rescue Mission for the Aging Swift Telescope
NASA 取消了针对老化的雨燕（Swift）望远镜的救援任务
The Swift space observatory has been in operation since 2004. It specializes in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most energetic electromagnetic explosions known in the universe. Its original mission was supposed to last just two years. More than two decades later, it continues to explore some of the most violent phenomena in the cosmos. Now it is nearing the end of its life.
雨燕（Swift）空间天文台自 2004 年以来一直在运行。它专门研究伽马射线暴（GRBs），这是宇宙中已知能量最强的电磁爆炸。其最初的任务期限仅为两年。二十多年后的今天，它仍在继续探索宇宙中一些最剧烈的现象。现在，它已接近寿命的终点。
Swift doesn’t have a propulsion system capable of significantly raising its orbit. Although it is hundreds of kilometers above the Earth’s surface, there are still atmospheric particles at that altitude that exert a small but constant drag on the satellite. With each orbit around Earth, it loses a tiny amount of energy and, little by little, altitude as well. If this process continues without intervention it will eventually reenter the atmosphere.
雨燕号没有能够显著提升其轨道的推进系统。尽管它位于地球表面数百公里之上，但该高度仍存在大气粒子，会对卫星产生微小但持续的阻力。每绕地球运行一圈，它都会损失极少量的能量，并逐渐降低高度。如果这一过程在没有干预的情况下持续下去，它最终将重新进入大气层。
NASA knew that Swift had limited time left. Some models had indicated that the observatory could remain in orbit until the 2030s, but increased solar activity during 2024 changed those projections. Energy from the sun heated and expanded the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere, increasing the drag on the satellite and accelerating its descent. Estimates eventually placed its likely reentry before the end of 2026.
NASA 知道雨燕号所剩时间不多了。一些模型曾显示该天文台可以保持在轨道上直到 2030 年代，但 2024 年期间增强的太阳活动改变了这些预测。来自太阳的能量加热并膨胀了地球高层大气，增加了卫星所受的阻力，并加速了其下降。最终的估计认为它很可能在 2026 年底前重返大气层。
Faced with the rapid deterioration of Swift’s orbit, NASA decided to attempt a rescue maneuver straight out of a movie. The plan was simple in concept but astonishingly complex to execute. A robotic mission would catch up to Swift, capture it with mechanical arms, and use its own thrusters to raise the observatory to a safer orbit, where it could continue operating. To do this, NASA turned to the company Katalyst Space Technologies and its LINK spacecraft.
面对雨燕号轨道迅速恶化的局面，NASA 决定尝试一次如同电影情节般的救援行动。该计划概念简单，但执行起来极其复杂。一项机器人任务将追上雨燕号，用机械臂捕获它，并利用自身的推进器将该天文台提升到更安全的轨道，使其能够继续运行。为此，NASA 求助于 Katalyst Space Technologies 公司及其 LINK 航天器。
LINK was launched into space on July 3, 2026. However, problems arose soon after. The spacecraft suffered failures in its attitude control system, which is responsible for keeping it properly oriented and stable in space. For weeks, engineers worked to regain control.
LINK 于 2026 年 7 月 3 日发射升空。然而，不久后便出现了问题。该航天器的姿态控制系统发生故障，该系统负责保持其在太空中的正确方向和稳定性。几周以来，工程师们一直在努力恢复控制。
On Wednesday, NASA canceled the rescue mission. In a statement, agency administrator Jared Isaacman explained that the decision was due to problems with the spacecraft’s control system. LINK will no longer capture Swift or raise its orbit. The spacecraft will continue to approach the observatory to conduct demonstrations of rendezvous, navigation, and close-proximity operations. The agency hopes to use this attempt to gather information that can be applied to future missions aimed at repairing, relocating, or extending the lifespan of satellites in orbit.
周三，NASA 取消了此次救援任务。该机构局长贾里德·艾萨克曼（Jared Isaacman）在一份声明中解释说，这一决定是由于航天器控制系统的问题所致。LINK 将不再捕获雨燕号或提升其轨道。该航天器将继续接近天文台，以进行交会、导航和近距离操作的演示。该机构希望利用这次尝试收集信息，并将其应用于未来旨在维修、重新定位或延长轨道卫星寿命的任务中。
“This is not the outcome we were working toward, but it does not change why this mission was worth attempting. The team moved with extraordinary speed to give Swift a chance to carry out more science while advancing capabilities America will need for satellite servicing in the future. We are going to learn everything we can from LINK’s rendezvous attempt and put those lessons to work on the missions that follow,” Isaacman said in a press release.
“这不是我们努力追求的结果，但这并不改变这项任务值得尝试的原因。团队以非凡的速度行动，旨在让雨燕号有机会开展更多的科学研究，同时推进美国未来卫星服务所需的各项能力。我们将从 LINK 的交会尝试中学习一切，并将这些经验教训应用到后续的任务中，”艾萨克曼在新闻稿中说道。
The agency had warned from the outset that this was a high-risk mission. Swift was not built to be captured or repaired in orbit, while LINK was developed and launched against the clock in response to the observatory’s rapid descent.
该机构从一开始就警告说，这是一项高风险任务。雨燕号在建造时并未考虑在轨道上被捕获或维修，而 LINK 则是为了应对天文台的快速下降而争分夺秒开发并发射的。
“NASA should be willing to move quickly and take smart risks when the potential return is worth it, and that is exactly what we did with this mission,” Isaacman noted.
“当潜在的回报值得时，NASA 应该愿意快速行动并承担明智的风险，而这正是我们在这次任务中所做的，”艾萨克曼指出。
Without an intervention to raise its orbit, Swift will continue to lose altitude until it reaches the denser layers of the atmosphere. During reentry, much of the observatory will be destroyed by intense heating and aerodynamic forces. It is still too early to determine exactly when and where this will occur.
如果没有提升轨道的干预措施，雨燕号将继续降低高度，直到进入大气层较稠密的区域。在重返大气层期间，该天文台的大部分结构将被剧烈的高温和空气动力摧毁。目前确定这具体会在何时何地发生还为时过早。
For now, NASA estimates that Swift will likely reenter the atmosphere before the end of the year.
目前，NASA 估计雨燕号很可能会在今年年底前重返大气层。