NASA launches rescue mission to stop telescope from falling back to Earth

NASA is commencing a $30 million rescue mission as soon as this week to nudge a space observatory to a higher orbit before it falls back to the planet.

The Swift Observatory, launched in 2004, studies some of the most energetic explosions in the universe and has been falling back to Earth due to recent higher-than-usual solar activity. NASA hired Katalyst Space Technologies to save the observatory, which comprises three specialized telescopes, by lifting it to a more stable orbit.