19 November 2025 startup Katalyst Space Technologies announced, that will launch its spacecraft, intended to raise the orbit of NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which gradually decreases, on a rarely used Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket. The launch should take place no later than the middle 2026 year, to prevent the Swift from falling into the atmosphere.
In September of this year. NASA signed a contract with Katalyst for the sum 30 million dollars for the Swift orbit raising mission, to continue the 21-year-old gamma-ray observatory and demonstrate satellite maintenance technologies. Katalyst chose Pegasus, which now flies very rarely, for several reasons, particularly because of Swift's unusual orbit. The observatory moves in an orbit with an inclination of approximately 21°, to avoid the South Atlantic Anomaly. This means, that rockets, which starts from Cape Canaveral or Vandenberg, a large amount of fuel will be needed just to get into the desired orbital plane. The second factor is that, that the Katalyst spacecraft, called Link, should launch no later than mid 2026 year, so that the Swift orbit does not have time to descend too low. That is why the company needs an experienced rocket with high reliability and a predictable schedule. The third factor is cost. Katalyst and Northrop Grumman have not released a launch price, but noted, that it is much lower, than the cost of the Falcon 9, which could also provide the desired delta-V velocity change.
As of today, the development of the Link device is on schedule: construction and key components are qualified. The missile will be launched from the Reagan test site in the Pacific Ocean, as the proximity to the equator provides advantageous access to Swift's orbit.
Source: https://spacenews.com