In 2024, NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory satellite, originally launched in 2004, began to experience difficulties with its orbit due to unexpected atmospheric drag from atmospheric expansion caused by solar radiation. The resulting orbital decay was predicted to eventually result in the satellite's destructive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
NASA commissioned Katalyst Space Technologies, a US-based aerospace startup specializing in robotic spacecraft for Near Earth Orbit (NEO) operations and satellite maintenance, to undertake a rescue mission. On July 3, 2026, Katalyst's robotic LINK spacecraft was launched with the intention of capturing the Swift Observatory and boosting it to back to a safe orbit.
And it failed.
On August 19, NASA announced that due to attitude control issues, LINK would be unable to rendezvous with the Swift satellite, which is now doomed to re-enter the atmosphere sometime in the fall of 2026.
This is all very unfortunate, but here's the question: why is the International Space Station unable to perform this kind of satellite mission?
It would seem to be simplicity itself for a couple of astronauts to jump into some kind of NEO vehicle, something halfway between a pickup truck and a tug in function, do a quick burn, match trajectories, and use some Mini-Me equivalent of the Canadarm to capture the doomed satellite and pull it into a stable orbit.
I realize that the above description is an enormous simplification of what would be a far more complex activity, but the concept seems sound. As such, it seems like an odd gap in the station's capabilities. It's as if the ISS were a private island, accessible only by helicopter, which couldn't save someone who's fallen overboard from a passing vessel because they don't own a speedboat.
To my mild surprise, I was unable to find any references to NASA giving consideration to some sort of EVA utility vehicle, just the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The MMU was an individual propulsion unit used for extravehicular activities outside the Space Shuttle that was introduced in 1984. The MMU was actually used to retrieve a pair of malfunctioning satellites before being retired from use due to safety issues (along with the Space Shuttle program).
The practical requirements for a vacuum-capable utility craft seem obvious: you'd want something with lots of horsepower and a substantial fuel payload to allow for both extended missions and to provide the fuel for moving larger payloads (such as falling satellites). The space pods from 2001 are an interesting example - shirt sleeve environment, lots of work lights, capable of remote control, and, importantly, there are external controls on Discovery which are designed to be operated by the pod's manipulators. The addition of a standardized tow point on future satellites would certainly simplify the capture process for our shuttle crew.
However, it would require substantial redevelopment of the ISS infrastructure to allow for the creation of the kind of hangar that Discovery's pods use to allow for pressurized access - it would be simpler to have a vehicle open to vacuum that's just docked to some neutral portion of the station's exterior. I don't recall any mention of astronauts performing ISS maintenance work having to worry about micrometeorites or similar kinetic impact hazards, so our utility vehicle probably doesn't need a windshield.**
The most important modification to existing technology that our proposed vehicle requires would be an external connection from the astronaut's environment pack to air tanks on the chassis. It seems like such a good idea to have a breathable backup in case of a problem half way around the planet from the station.
- Sid
* Sadly, Chris Hadfield didn’t respond to my DM on Instagram asking whether anything similar had been considered - no, seriously, he seemed like a useful source of information, but I accept that he must get thousands of messages, the man has 335,000 followers. That being said, how cool would it have been to get a response!
** Realizing that there's no wind involved, but it's a very convenient word for a transparent barrier that shields the driver/pilot of a moving vehicle.
