A private satellite's planned rescue mission of the Swift Observatory has been abandoned. The small spacecraft that was supposed to help save Swift could only get close enough to take photographs. The observatory, launched in 2004 by NASA to study such cosmic events as gamma-ray bursts, is experiencing decay of its low-earth orbit as a result of solar storms and is expected to re-enter the earth's atmosphere as early as October.

Last September, NASA awarded a $30 million contract to a company known as Katalyst Space Technologies to deploy a three-armed robotic servicing spacecraft known as Link to save Swift's mission and boost its orbit.

From a distance of 9 miles, or 15 kilometres, Link instead could only collect data and take photographs because the spacecraft itself had been having its own issues - first, with stability and later, with insufficient fuel.

“Unfortunately, it wasn't the outcome that we were expecting,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.