NASA launches robot to save Swift telescope falling to Earth (bbc.com)

Swift is 10x past its mission lifetime. This is essentially an open demonstration of antisat tech.

Hubble needs a lift and SpaceX have been ready to go on that side quest.

> When it was first launched it sat in an orbit at 373 miles (600 km) and has now lowered to around 220 miles (360 km), with most of that descent in the past two years.

Hot damn, that's a lot of altitude lost.

Dumb question: do most NASA satellites in orbit not have some sort of center of mass hook just in case for operations like these?