Katalyst’s LINK Robotic Spacecraft Integrated with Pegasus XL and Ready for Launch

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — June 15, 2026 — Katalyst’s robotic spacecraft, LINK, completed encapsulation with Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket at NASA Wallops Flight Facility’s Horizontal Integration Facility, marking the final major integration milestone before launch.

With LINK secured inside the payload fairing, the Pegasus XL rocket will next be mated to Stargazer, Northrop Grumman’s L-1011 aircraft, which will transport the launch vehicle from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands for launch later this month.

Designed, built, and tested in just eight months, LINK is now positioned for a first-of-its-kind mission to capture and reboost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, extending the life of one of NASA’s most important astrophysics missions.

“What the Katalyst team has accomplished in just eight months is extraordinary,” said Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space. “The team designed, built, tested, and integrated a robotic spacecraft capable of performing one of the most ambitious commercial servicing missions ever attempted. Completing encapsulation marks the transition from development to operations.”

Once on orbit, LINK will rendezvous with Swift and boost it to a higher altitude, helping preserve the observatory’s ability to rapidly detect and study gamma-ray bursts and other transient events.

“We’re doing this on a time scale that’s kind of crazy by space standards,” said Brad Cenko, a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and principal investigator for Swift. “It’s a different risk posture than NASA is used to working with.”

Swift, launched in 2004, remains unique within NASA’s astrophysics portfolio for its ability to detect and quickly observe some of the universe’s most energetic and short-lived phenomena.

“That’s the kind of capability that is unique in NASA’s astrophysics portfolio that we would like to keep going with this reboost mission,” Cenko said. “So when this opportunity came along, it was a tremendous relief.”

The mission reflects NASA's growing partnership with commercial industry to deliver new space capabilities faster and more efficiently. 

“By moving quickly to pursue innovative commercial solutions, we’re further developing the space industry and strengthening American space leadership,” said Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “This daring mission will demonstrate our ability to go from concept to implementation in less than a year.”

LINK represents an important step toward a new era of space operations defined by the ability to physically interact with and move assets on orbit.

As activity in space increases, operators will need the ability to inspect, service, relocate, and upgrade spacecraft rather than simply replace them.

"LINK is about putting hands on orbit,” said Lee, “Once we can physically interact with spacecraft, we can extend their lives, improve their capabilities, and build a more resilient space economy."