NASA taps startup to save aging space observatory

NASA has tapped startup Katalyst to save a $500 million orbiting observatory from falling into Earth’s atmosphere by launching a spacecraft meant to push it farther in space, a short-notice mission that will demonstrate space-docking technology at the centre of the US-China space rivalry.

The U.S. space agency said on Wednesday it awarded Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies $30 million to send a modified version of its “Link” spacecraft to NASA’s orbiting Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a spacecraft in low-Earth orbit that has been observing distant galaxies and black holes since its launch in 2004.