The LINK satellite, launched into near-Earth orbit in early July 2026, has encountered serious problems. On July 28, 2026, two out of three flywheel engines in the attitude control system failed, causing the spacecraft to begin rotating and experience communication difficulties.
Furthermore, a decrease in the efficiency of the propulsion system, which uses three xenon thrusters, has been noted. These malfunctions are linked to incorrect functioning of the power supply system. Despite this, the satellite retains the ability to charge its batteries and maintain contact with the ground control center. It is planned that once attitude control is restored, updated software will be installed on the spacecraft.
LINK was developed by Katalyst Space Technologies for NASA. The primary objective of this spacecraft is to connect with the Swift gamma-ray observatory using three manipulators and raise the telescope's orbital altitude almost back to its original level. If this does not happen, the telescope risks burning up in Earth's atmosphere within the coming months.
After launch, the satellite successfully deployed its solar panels, established contact with Earth, and conducted initial system diagnostics and transmitted images. However, almost two weeks after launch, an anomaly was detected in the operation of one of the flywheel engines, which was promptly resolved.
The text also mentions images captured by the Artemis-2 crew during the flyby of the far side of the Moon on the night of April 6–7, 2026, which were demonstrated to NASA. One of these images shows the crescent Earth setting behind the lunar horizon. The astronauts' goal was to reproduce a known image of the Earth's sunrise taken by the Apollo-8 crew in 1968. Such observations are possible due to the Moon's libration, but they are limited both by the observation area for low orbits near the satellite and by time, as the Orion crew only had a few minutes to capture the planet's sunrise or sunset. Additionally, one of the images recorded a total solar eclipse, which was observed by humans from cislunar space for the first time.
A pioneering initiative by NASA, aimed at extending the lifespan of a space telescope, encountered significant obstacles after the spacecraft designed for the rescue lost orbital control. According to the space agency and the company Katalyst Space, the vehicle began spinning uncontrollably following a sequence of failures, which puts the continuity of the operation at risk.
The contracted company is working to stabilize the spacecraft using backup systems, awaiting NASA's decision on whether to proceed with the mission normally. This is the first case where the space agency outsources the task of raising the orbit of one of its space telescopes so that it can operate beyond its initially foreseen deadline.
The focus of this mission is the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which was launched in 2004 with the purpose of quickly identifying and directing its instruments toward brief astronomical events, such as gamma-ray bursts. Over the years, the observatory has suffered a gradual loss of altitude due to Earth's residual atmospheric drag.
Katalyst Space's function is to attach a spacecraft to the telescope and propel it into a higher trajectory, thereby prolonging its scientific value. The LINK spacecraft was launched on July 3rd, transported by a Pegasus rocket manufactured by Northrop Grumman. In the weeks following the launch, teams conducted the vehicle commissioning process, testing all its systems before approaching the Swift telescope.
However, during a specific weekend, the spacecraft began showing difficulties maintaining its orientation and entered uncontrolled rotation. NASA reported that this movement resulted in 'sporadic communications' with the vehicle, which is likely because the antenna stopped pointing at Earth during the rotation.
The agency informed that two of the three reaction wheels, responsible for controlling the spacecraft's direction, failed. Additionally, one of the propulsion systems also presented problems. To try to regain control, engineers began employing an alternative set of thrusters with the aim of reducing the vehicle's rotational speed. In a statement, the team assured that 'we have already started this series of activations and are seeing the intended effect.'
Katalyst Space also communicated to TechCrunch that the operation is ongoing. The company stated: 'This remains an active mission, and we are continuing with plans to find Swift.'
Kieran Wilson, the lead researcher for the mission at Katalyst Space, explained that, before the launch, the spacecraft had to be developed in a very short timeframe due to the urgency of raising the telescope's orbit. He commented that 'All of this is challenging and risky,' adding that 'There are many spacecraft that have had much longer development cycles, with much more funding, and that failed for trivial reasons.'
In June, Katalyst Space finalized an investment round worth US$12 million (equivalent to R$61.6 million), led by Fortitude Ventures and Geodesic Capital, to support the mission. In addition to this private contribution, the company also received support from the United States Armed Forces, which express interest in creating vehicles capable of performing maintenance on satellites in orbit or monitoring adversarial spacecraft.
The deployment of over one million satellites intended for space data centers, along with tens of thousands of orbital mirrors, has the potential to permanently alter the night sky landscape of Earth.
Researchers, cited by Space.com, indicate that if these endeavors advance, the planet could acquire a vivid artificial 'Saturn ring.' This ring would be perceptible from any location on the globe for hours after sunset and before sunrise.
This structure would be composed of satellites arranged in a common orbit, manifesting as a luminous band crossing the firmament. Experts warn that the brightness of this ring would exceed that of any known celestial body or planet, potentially even surpassing the brightness of a full moon.
Hugh Lewis, an astronautics professor at the University of Birmingham (UK), explained that the only viable way to house the vast number of proposed data center constellations is to group them into a defined orbit situated at the transition between day and night.
Lewis commented that when observing the night sky, these satellites would be concentrated in a single plane, very close to each other and moving in the same direction, classifying the impact on the night sky as 'absolutely catastrophic.'
The notion of a fabricated 'Saturn ring' seemed like science fiction recently, but with the increase in competition for orbital data centers last year, this scenario has become a real possibility.
Several corporations have already applied for permits from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch large groups of satellites. Among these companies are SpaceX, Starcloud, Cowboy Space, Orbital, and Blue Origin, whose combined projects exceed the one-million satellite mark for space data center operation.
China has also entered this dispute, planning to develop its own network of orbital data centers in the next five years. Additionally, the Californian company Reflect Orbital aims to launch 50,000 space mirrors to redirect sunlight to terrestrial power plants at night.
On July 10, Reflect Orbital obtained authorization from the FCC to operate its first orbital mirror, an 18 by 18 meter demonstrator satellite called Eärendil-1, whose launch is scheduled for this year.
Lewis detailed that both orbital data centers and space mirrors require constant solar exposure to function. Therefore, the equipment must remain in an orbit that follows the terminator line—the boundary between the illuminated and dark areas of Earth—passing over the North and South poles.
He emphasized that 'orbital data centers and Reflect Orbital depend on what these operators call 24 hours of sunlight in space,' adding that this requires a specific orbit following the twilight line, unlike the Starlink mega-constellation, which is distributed across the entire planet.
Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina (Canada), agreed with Lewis's analysis. She and other scientists used computational modeling to simulate the visual effect of several proposed constellations, including SpaceX's Starmind, Blue Origin's Project Sunrise, and Cowboy Space's Stampede constellation.
According to Lawler, the simulations show that the visible satellites from the Earth's surface would not only obscure part of the stars but would also surpass them in number. As the Earth rotates under this trajectory, the ring would cross the sky twice daily: once between the end and beginning of the night, and another just before dawn. The researcher observed that 'the ring would pass overhead at the same time every night,' implying that the effect would be more severe in winter than in summer.
Lawler pointed out that the simulations were based on public data and that the study has not yet been submitted for peer review. However, she stated that the light scattered by the ring would continue to illuminate the sky for up to two hours after the satellites disappear below the horizon, similar to the residual glow of the Sun after sunset.
She warned that this would make the time of taxpayer-funded telescopes 'much less effective,' resulting in lower scientific output for the same cost, and would seriously compromise scientific investigations, such as the search for near-Earth dangerous asteroids. According to the expert, there would be no areas of the planet immune to this phenomenon.
The simulations also suggest that certain constellations, notably Blue Origin's Project Sunrise, would employ a distinct orbital inclination, creating a pattern resembling the letter X over the main ring. Lawler explained that near the equator, this X shape of satellites would be visible gliding across the sky at dawn and after sunset; further north, two distinct bands would be seen.
Researchers point out that the luminosity intensity of the ring will depend on the actual number of satellites placed in orbit. However, they highlight that each Reflect Orbital space mirror should emit a brightness comparable to Venus, considered the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.
A previous study by the European Southern Observatory concluded that a constellation with 50,000 space mirrors from that company could increase the brightness of the night sky by up to 300%, rendering some of the world's most advanced telescopes unusable.
John Barentine, an astronomer and advocate for dark skies, told Space.com that humanity has already drastically altered the space environment around the Earth. He stated: 'Humanity has fundamentally changed the cosmos to the point where Earth is now an artificial 'ringed planet,' suffocated by satellites and space debris.'
Barentine added that projects like Reflect Orbital's will transform these rings, currently almost invisible, into intense reflective bands, transcending a mere dispersed field of bright points.
For Barentine, the outcome would be a permanent effect capable of profoundly changing astronomical observation conditions, constituting a 'permanent and artificial 'Saturn ring' effect cutting right through the most critical twilight observation windows for global astronomy.'
