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July 3, 2026 / 8:36 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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In a low-cost, high-risk gamble, a small company in partnership with NASA and Northrop Grumman launched an experimental space tug Friday to hunt down and grab a falling space telescope that otherwise would plunge back to Earth and burn up by year's end.Using small robot arms to lock onto the $250 million Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the tug will attempt to boost the satellite back up to a safe altitude, giving it a new lease on life spotting the most violent explosions in the universe and continuing its role as a "first responder" for follow-on observatories.If the gamble pays off, that is.
