SpaceX Dragon huffs, puffs... and fizzles out as NASA aborts ISS boost
(2025/09/26)
- Reference: 1758886151
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/09/26/iss_reboost_attempt_aborted/
- Source link:
NASA has made progress with plans to boost the rapidly decaying orbit of the Swift observatory while calling an abrupt halt to an attempt to reboost the International Space Station (ISS) using SpaceX's Dragon.
Following a [1]successful demonstration on September 3, NASA and SpaceX were trying for a 19-minute, 22-second burn using the Draco thrusters located in the trunk of SpaceX's CRS-33 Dragon cargo spacecraft. However, at three minutes and 45 seconds, controllers saw something they didn't like and [2]commanded a manual abort .
The problem was that a planned swap of the Draco thruster fuel tanks did not occur, and controllers at SpaceX and NASA's Johnson Space Center opted to halt the proceedings to conserve propellant.
[3]
The retirement of the Space Shuttles and the end of the European Space Agency's ATV program have left NASA with fewer options for boosting the ISS's orbit, which decays naturally over time. Roscosmos's Progress spacecraft have raised the outpost's orbit for years, and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus vehicle is capable of limited reboosts.
[4]
[5]
Using a reboost kit carried in the trunk of a Dragon freighter gives NASA extra options for maintaining the lab's altitude. Assuming it works. The first test burn lasted five minutes and three seconds. Managers had intended to perform longer burns, but the latest firing fell some way short of what was desired. The team hopes to try again today.
NASA awards Swift orbit boost attempt
NASA has a vested interest in keeping things in orbit. Earlier this year, the agency [6]began seeking ways of raising the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and, with impressive speed, [7]awarded Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona, a contract to send its robotic servicing spacecraft to raise the observatory to a higher orbit, potentially extending its lifetime.
The award is worth $30 million and will enable Katalyst to proceed with the rescue mission.
An increase in the Sun's activity has resulted in Swift experiencing more atmospheric drag than expected. "Given how quickly Swift's orbit is decaying, we are in a race against the clock," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of NASA's Astrophysics Division.
[8]NASA panel fears a Starship lunar touchdown is more fantasy than flight plan
[9]Super-sized space freighter delayed on way to ISS, leaving snacks in jeopardy
[10]Silent magnetosphere spacecraft starts talking to controllers again
[11]US House Appropriations Committee saves NASA budget, Prez holds the veto pen
There is a 50 percent chance of Swift making an uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026, rising to 90 percent by the end of the year. The Katalyst vehicle must therefore be ready to launch within months, rather than the years that such a mission would usually need.
Complicating matters is that Swift was never intended to be serviced in space, meaning grappling the vehicle without damaging it will require careful thought and a delicate touch. [12]According to Katalyst, its servicer "will rely on a custom-built robotic capture mechanism that will attach to a feature on the satellite's main structure – without damaging sensitive instruments."
[13]
Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst, said: "We're demonstrating that when the need arises, we can go from identifying the problem to executing a robotic docking mission in less than a year."
Whether Swift will survive whatever budget is ultimately decided for NASA is another matter altogether. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/04/spacex_dragon_iss_reboost/
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/09/25/space-medicine-protecting-crews-station-reboost-aborted/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/nasa_mulls_sending_a_rescue/
[7] https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-company-to-attempt-swift-spacecraft-orbit-boost/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/22/nasa_starship_artemis_doubts/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/17/cygnus_xl_iss_resupply/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/silent_spacecraft_starts_talking_to/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/nasa_science_gets_a_boost/
[12] https://www.katalystspace.com/post/nasa-telescope-is-about-to-fall-out-of-the-sky
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Following a [1]successful demonstration on September 3, NASA and SpaceX were trying for a 19-minute, 22-second burn using the Draco thrusters located in the trunk of SpaceX's CRS-33 Dragon cargo spacecraft. However, at three minutes and 45 seconds, controllers saw something they didn't like and [2]commanded a manual abort .
The problem was that a planned swap of the Draco thruster fuel tanks did not occur, and controllers at SpaceX and NASA's Johnson Space Center opted to halt the proceedings to conserve propellant.
[3]
The retirement of the Space Shuttles and the end of the European Space Agency's ATV program have left NASA with fewer options for boosting the ISS's orbit, which decays naturally over time. Roscosmos's Progress spacecraft have raised the outpost's orbit for years, and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus vehicle is capable of limited reboosts.
[4]
[5]
Using a reboost kit carried in the trunk of a Dragon freighter gives NASA extra options for maintaining the lab's altitude. Assuming it works. The first test burn lasted five minutes and three seconds. Managers had intended to perform longer burns, but the latest firing fell some way short of what was desired. The team hopes to try again today.
NASA awards Swift orbit boost attempt
NASA has a vested interest in keeping things in orbit. Earlier this year, the agency [6]began seeking ways of raising the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and, with impressive speed, [7]awarded Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona, a contract to send its robotic servicing spacecraft to raise the observatory to a higher orbit, potentially extending its lifetime.
The award is worth $30 million and will enable Katalyst to proceed with the rescue mission.
An increase in the Sun's activity has resulted in Swift experiencing more atmospheric drag than expected. "Given how quickly Swift's orbit is decaying, we are in a race against the clock," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director of NASA's Astrophysics Division.
[8]NASA panel fears a Starship lunar touchdown is more fantasy than flight plan
[9]Super-sized space freighter delayed on way to ISS, leaving snacks in jeopardy
[10]Silent magnetosphere spacecraft starts talking to controllers again
[11]US House Appropriations Committee saves NASA budget, Prez holds the veto pen
There is a 50 percent chance of Swift making an uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026, rising to 90 percent by the end of the year. The Katalyst vehicle must therefore be ready to launch within months, rather than the years that such a mission would usually need.
Complicating matters is that Swift was never intended to be serviced in space, meaning grappling the vehicle without damaging it will require careful thought and a delicate touch. [12]According to Katalyst, its servicer "will rely on a custom-built robotic capture mechanism that will attach to a feature on the satellite's main structure – without damaging sensitive instruments."
[13]
Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst, said: "We're demonstrating that when the need arises, we can go from identifying the problem to executing a robotic docking mission in less than a year."
Whether Swift will survive whatever budget is ultimately decided for NASA is another matter altogether. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/04/spacex_dragon_iss_reboost/
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/09/25/space-medicine-protecting-crews-station-reboost-aborted/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/nasa_mulls_sending_a_rescue/
[7] https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-company-to-attempt-swift-spacecraft-orbit-boost/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/22/nasa_starship_artemis_doubts/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/17/cygnus_xl_iss_resupply/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/silent_spacecraft_starts_talking_to/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/nasa_science_gets_a_boost/
[12] https://www.katalystspace.com/post/nasa-telescope-is-about-to-fall-out-of-the-sky
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aNa4iVMHti2k_EhIHBU0TgAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
SpaceX?
Gordon 10
Much as I hate MElon, surely rapid turnaround of space maintence vehicles is a job for SpaceX? I would have thought the long pole in the tent is design off the coupling or pushing attachment.
Re: SpaceX?
retiredFool
From the sound of the task, not a spacex job. Spacex usually just throws some pasta against the wall to see if it sticks. Problem in this case is it is a new problem since there is no attachment point for the boost. So while I'm sure spacex would give it a boost, it is also likely to rip the thing in half. Musk would just go, oh well, try something else next time. What they need is a company who actually simulates what they are going to do and see if it works, then sim some more and more and more. When they are sure it works, then try the one shot they have.
Re: SpaceX?
Flocke Kroes
Several companies have satellite (or a satellite design) for pushing another satellite into a higher orbit. Picking one of those who have a head start is faster than SpaceX adapting a Starlink, which would be their nearest existing product.
Re: SpaceX?
Steve Foster
Except that SpaceX's model is "move fast and break blow-up things".
Which is unlikely to work well when the object of the exercise is to preserve a fragile object.
Looking forward to the swift rescue
If they can succeed it will be an impressive step forward in on orbit servicing and boosting.