Katalyst’s LINK Spacecraft Reaches Orbit, Successfully Communicates with Mission Operations
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — July 3, 2026 — Katalyst Space’s robotic spacecraft, LINK, has established communication with Mission Operations following successful launch and deployment aboard Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket at 8:36PM in Kwajalein Atoll (4:36AM ET). Initial on-orbit commissioning and spacecraft checkouts are now underway.
Unprecedented Build
Designed, built, tested, and launched in nine months, LINK is a complex robotic servicing spacecraft with autonomous rendezvous and docking capabilities, designed to boost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift observatory before it deorbits later this year.
To meet Swift's timeline, Katalyst relied on extensive in-house development and testing while advancing multiple spacecraft capabilities in parallel. Mature technologies, including commercial sensors, industrial-grade avionics, and established spacecraft components, allowed development efforts to focus on LINK’s unique rendezvous, docking, and servicing capabilities.
The effort was executed in close collaboration with NASA, combining the agency’s decades of mission and spacecraft operations experience with Katalyst’s ability to rapidly design, build, and test a complex robotic spacecraft.
Key Milestone
Successful communication with LINK marks the beginning of on-orbit operations for America’s first commercial robotic spacecraft. LINK is an important step towards a future where satellites can be manipulated on orbit, moving space operations beyond static, single-use spacecraft to dynamic systems that can adapt long after launch.
“What we’ve accomplished is years of engineering condensed into nine months from development to execution,” said Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst Space. “Communicating with LINK confirms the spacecraft is operating in orbit and marks the transition from launch to on-orbit operations.”
Over the next few weeks, LINK will undergo spacecraft commissioning as Katalyst's Mission Operations team verifies the health and performance of critical spacecraft systems, including power, communications, propulsion, and guidance, navigation, and control. Once commissioning is complete, LINK will begin rendezvous operations with Swift.
The Katalyst team will be providing mission updates through LinkedIn and its official website.
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