A spacecraft has blasted into orbit on a mission to rescue a NASA telescope that is at risk of crashing back to Earth.

一艘航天器已发射升空，执行一项营救任务，目标是拯救一台面临坠回地球风险的NASA望远镜。

The three-armed Link spacecraft was launched on Friday aboard a Pegasus rocket released from a modified aircraft over the Pacific Ocean.

装有三个机械臂的“连接号”航天器于上周五搭载一枚飞马座火箭发射升空，该火箭是从一架经过改装的飞机上释放的，发射地点位于太平洋上空。

Operated by Katalyst Space Technologies, the spacecraft is expected to reach NASA's Swift observatory in around a month's time before capturing the ageing telescope and lifting it into a higher orbit.

该航天器由Katalyst空间技术公司运营，预计约一个月后抵达NASA的“雨燕”天文台，随后将捕获这架已老化的望远镜，并将其抬升至更高的轨道。

Swift, which was launched in 2004 to study some of the universe's most powerful explosions, has been descending more quickly than expected because increased solar activity has expanded Earth's upper atmosphere, creating greater drag.

“雨燕”于2004年发射升空，用于研究宇宙中一些最剧烈的爆炸现象。由于太阳活动增强导致地球高层大气膨胀，产生更大的阻力，“雨燕”的下坠速度一直快于预期。

NASA is paying Katalyst $30m (£22m) to carry out the rescue mission in the hope of extending the telescope's working life.

NASA向Katalyst公司支付3000万美元（约合2200万英镑），以执行这次营救任务，希望能延长该望远镜的工作寿命。

If successful, Link will gradually raise Swift's orbit by around 150 miles, returning it to the altitude at which it first began operating.

如果任务成功，“连接号”将逐步将“雨燕”的轨道提升约150英里，使其回到最初开始运行时的高度。

Scientists hope the observatory will resume scanning the skies for gamma-ray bursts and exploding stars by September.

科学家希望该天文台能在9月前恢复扫描天空，搜寻伽马射线暴和爆炸中的恒星。

Observations have been paused while the rescue mission takes place in an effort to preserve as much of the telescope's remaining orbit as possible.

在执行营救任务期间，观测工作已暂停，以便尽可能节省望远镜剩余的轨道资源。

Without intervention, NASA said Swift would have re-entered Earth's atmosphere and burned up as early as October.

NASA表示，如果不加干预，“雨燕”最早将在10月再入地球大气层并烧毁。

Katalyst Space Technologies developed the mission in just nine months after NASA warned there was only a narrow window to save the observatory.

Katalyst空间技术公司在NASA警告只有很窄的时间窗口可以拯救这座天文台后，仅用9个月便完成了此次任务的研发。

"This is a high-risk, high-reward mission," Katalyst chief executive Ghonhee Lee said before launch.

“这是一项高风险、高回报的任务，”Katalyst公司首席执行官李建熙在发射前表示。

"The biggest danger was always we don't launch anything and we let Swift burn up in the atmosphere. So we were always trying to avoid that risk."

“最大的危险始终是我们什么也没发射，只能眼睁睁看着‘雨燕’在大气层中烧毁。 所以我们一直在努力规避那种风险。”

A similar mission could one day be used to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope, which is also gradually losing altitude because of increased atmospheric drag linked to heightened solar activity.

类似的任务未来某天也可用于延长哈勃太空望远镜的工作寿命。哈勃望远镜同样因为太阳活动加剧导致大气阻力增大，而在逐渐降低轨道高度。