Nasa robot mission aims to rescue telescope

NASA yesterday was set to launch a daring robotic rescue mission, a long shot bid to prevent one of its aging telescopes from vanishing into dust.

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If successful, the effort could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life.

The operation is set to last several months, kicking off with the launch of a robot designed to rescue the Swift space telescope that’s currently falling towards Earth.

Without intervention, Swift is expected to soon burn up in the atmosphere. The rescue spacecraft developed by the US startup Katalyst was slated to lift off yesterday from a Pacific Ocean atoll aboard a small rocket named Pegasus.

The rocket-propelled launch vehicle will not take off from a launch pad. Instead, it will be released from a jet. “Everything about this mission is so crazy,’ said Nasa astrophysicist Regina Caputo with a laugh during an interview.