20/06/2026
I fly 'em all around the world 🚀✈️
After mating the Pegasus rocket carrying Katalyst's LINK spacecraft, Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Stargazer L-1011 aircraft departed from the Wallops airfield. NASA Wallops' ability to support both spacecraft and Pegasus rocket integration within weeks of each other streamlined the path for this mission to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory later this summer.
The aircraft will make its way to the Marshall Islands ahead of the mission to boost Swift. Katalyst’s robotic servicing spacecraft will launch on Pegasus to rendezvous with Swift and raise its altitude, extending its science mission lifespan.
Credit: NASA/Jamie Adkins