NASA Launches Robot to Rescue Its 20-Year-Old Space Telescope

NASA's Swift Boost mission launched July 3 to send a robotic spacecraft, built by the company Katalyst Space, to meet an aging telescope in orbit and give it a boost to higher altitude, extending its life by about ten years. The $30 million rescue, if successful, shows that private companies can now service NASA's aging instruments in space—a model NASA could repeat across its fleet.