NASA is executing a first-of-its-kind rescue mission to capture the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory with a commercial robotic spacecraft before it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere. The untested Link vehicle, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, will rendezvous with the 22-year-old gamma-ray telescope, grapple it using three robotic arms, and elevate its orbit from 224 to 373 miles. This operation, launched via an air-launched Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll, marks the inaugural instance of a private company servicing an unprepared government satellite. If successful, the maneuver extends Swift’s operational lifespan by a decade, validating new on-orbit servicing capabilities for future infrastructure while avoiding the $500 million cost of a replacement telescope.