NASA prepares daring robot mission to rescue aging Swift satellite
NASA is moving forward with a first‑of‑its‑kind commercial rescue mission to save its aging Swift observatory, which has begun falling back toward Earth faster than expected due to recent solar activity. The agency plans to launch a robotic spacecraft as early as tomorrow to dock with Swift, secure it using three robotic arms, and boost its orbit by about 150 miles to prevent the telescope from burning up in the atmosphere.