NASA contracted Katalyst Space Technologies to launch the Link spacecraft on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket to raise the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from approximately 224 miles to 373 miles. A last-minute technical issue aboard the carrier aircraft prevented release of the rocket, delaying the mission that had been scheduled to lift off toward the Marshall Islands. The observatory, launched in 2004, has lost altitude due to increased solar activity and faces possible re-entry as early as October.