Space Industry Update: Swift Satellite Reboost Mission Achieved
Welcome to Edition 9.01 of the Rocket Report! In January, I wrote about the 20 launches and landings we were most excited about in 2026. Halfway through the year, we can only count one of those events as completed, which was NASA’s Artemis II mission in April.
The latest development in this area is the successful reboost of the Swift astronomy satellite, which was launched in 2004 and is now unable to counter atmospheric drag.
A pioneering commercial mission called the Swift Boost Mission, developed by Katalyst Space Technologies, utilized a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket to reach orbit. The mission faced multiple setbacks due to weather and technical issues before finally achieving success.
The Link servicing satellite will spend several weeks approaching the Swift observatory and attempt to raise its altitude, extending its mission life.
