NASA計劃執行機器人任務以維修斯威夫特天文台
NASA Plans Robotic Mission to Service Swift Observatory
Updated at: June 12, 2026 at 02:00 AM
美國國家航空暨太空總署(NASA)正著手進行一項雄心勃勃的計畫，旨在拯救尼爾·格雷爾斯雨燕天文台，這是一座至關重要的望遠鏡，負責追蹤宇宙中最強大的爆炸現象：伽瑪射線暴。
NASA is embarking on an ambitious project to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a vital telescope that tracks the universe's most powerful explosions: gamma-ray bursts.
增強的太陽活動導致其軌道衰減，使其面臨在2026年前墜入大氣層燃燒殆盡的威脅。
Increased solar activity has caused its orbit to decay, threatening it with atmospheric reentry by 2026.
為防止此情況發生，NASA與總部位於亞利桑那州的初創公司Katalyst Space Technologies合作，執行一項大膽的救援任務。
To prevent this, NASA has partnered with Arizona-based startup Katalyst Space Technologies for a daring rescue mission.
這項創舉中，Katalyst將利用其機器人太空船LINK進行「推升(reboost)」。
In a groundbreaking move, Katalyst will use its robotic spacecraft, LINK, to perform a 'reboost.'
這意義重大，因為不同於哈伯太空望遠鏡，雨燕天文台在設計之初並未考慮維護需求。
This is significant because, unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, Swift was never designed for maintenance.
它缺乏對接端口，這使得本次任務成為首個捕獲政府衛星進行維修的同類任務。
It lacks docking ports, making this the first mission of its kind to capture a government satellite for servicing.
若任務成功，不僅能保存一項關鍵的科學資產，還將成為未來軌道衛星維護的藍圖，證實我們能夠延長太空探測器的壽命。
If successful, this mission will not only preserve a critical scientific asset but also serve as a blueprint for the future of on-orbit satellite maintenance, proving that we can extend the lives of our space explorers.
