One week ago, more than 200 miles above Earth, a refrigerator‑size satellite named Link spun out of control while trying to rescue NASA’s $500 million Swift gamma‑ray observatory. The spacecraft began rotating on multiple axes, losing its communications link and disabling two of its three reaction wheels. Through sporadic radio contact, engineers discovered a problem with some of the spacecraft’s cold gas thrusters used for finer attitude control.

The Link satellite is built, owned, and operated by Katalyst Space Technologies, a startup that won a $30 million NASA contract to fly up to Swift, capture it, and boost its orbit before burning up in the atmosphere.

Although the spin jeopardized the mission, engineers report that the satellite’s power supply, three xenon electric thrusters, and its rendezvous and robotics hardware remain healthy. The ground team near Denver is using the plasma engines—designed for orbit‑raising—to gradually slow the spin and restore attitude control.

Katalyst CEO Ghonhee Lee said the team was in a stable configuration just before the failure. With Swift expected to drop too low for the rescue in a few months, the team is racing to stabilize the craft before the clock runs out.