NASA postponed a robotic rescue mission to save the ageing Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, setting the next launch attempt for no earlier than Wednesday, July 1.
The agency cited unfavourable weather conditions after the rescue spacecraft, built by U.S. startup Katalyst, was originally scheduled to launch Tuesday at 1023 GMT, or 3:23 pm PKT.
NASA set the next attempt for 0943 GMT, or 2:43 pm PKT, from a Pacific Ocean atoll aboard a Pegasus rocket.
The rocket-propelled vehicle will not launch from a pad. It will be released from a jet before carrying the LINK robot toward Swift’s orbit.
NASA astrophysicist Regina Caputo told AFP that the mission required the robot to locate Swift in space, manoeuvre around it and latch on with three movable arms.
The robot will then try to tow Swift about 300 kilometres higher into a stable orbit over at least one month.
Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of NASA’s astrophysics division, called the operation “a lot of firsts stacked on top of each other.”
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Swift launched in 2004 for a two-year mission to study gamma-ray bursts and remains in demand because of its rapid-response capabilities.
The $30 million rescue mission aims to save a telescope that originally cost $250 million.
Caputo estimated the chances of success at “maybe 50-50,” while Katalyst Vice President Robert Lamontagne said the mission could support a new model to refuel, reposition, repair and upgrade satellites.
