Spacecraft sent to raise Swift telescope's orbit returns without reaching it

A $30 million effort to raise the orbit of NASA's Swift Observatory has ended after the contracted LINK spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere, Geo News reported. LINK photographed the telescope but never got close enough to make contact. Two of LINK's three reaction wheels, which control its orientation, stopped working after launch. Engineers recovered some control, but by mid-August the craft lacked enough propellant for a safe capture maneuver. Swift has no propulsion system of its own and is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere in November.