NASA said on the 28th that the commercial in-orbit service spacecraft used to lift the Neil Grylls Swift Observatory orbit had a technical failure a few days ago. This spacecraft, codenamed “LINK,” was developed by the American startup Ketalister Space Technology and launched from the Marshall Islands on the 3rd of this month. It is planned to dock in orbit with the “Swift” observatory to help raise the altitude of the astronomical satellite's orbit to extend its useful life. NASA said that last weekend, the LINK spacecraft had an attitude control problem, which caused the spacecraft to rotate, and communication was also affected. Preliminary investigation revealed that of the three reaction wheels on LINK, two are currently not working properly, and some of the functions of its air-conditioning propulsion system cannot be realized.

NASA said on the 28th that the commercial in-orbit service spacecraft used to lift the Neil Grylls Swift Observatory orbit had a technical failure a few days ago. This spacecraft, codenamed “LINK,” was developed by the American startup Ketalister Space Technology and launched from the Marshall Islands on the 3rd of this month. It is planned to dock in orbit with the “Swift” observatory to help raise the altitude of the astronomical satellite's orbit to extend its useful life. NASA said that last weekend, the LINK spacecraft had an attitude control problem, which caused the spacecraft to rotate, and communication was also affected. Preliminary investigation revealed that of the three reaction wheels on LINK, two are currently not working properly, and some of the functions of its air-conditioning propulsion system cannot be realized.