NASA to Showcase Mission to Boost Swift Spacecraft’s Orbit

Key points

• Engineers from Katalyst stabilize their LINK robotic servicing spacecraft during environmental testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The LINK spacecraft will be encapsulated in Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, for launch in late June on a mission to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
• Credit: NASA/Scott Wiessinger Media are invited to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Wednesday, June 17, to view Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, carrying a Katalyst robotic spacecraft that will attempt to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
• Katalyst’s robotic servicing spacecraft, called LINK, will launch on Pegasus in June to rendezvous with Swift and raise its altitude, extending its science mission lifespan.
• Both United States and international media may apply for onsite credentials to view the Pegasus and the L-1011 Stargazer aircraft that will deploy the rocket at launch....