Katalyst Space Technologies' Link satellite is tumbling uncontrolled 200 miles above Earth, two of its three reaction wheels dead, its cold gas thrusters compromised, and communications dropping in and out.
Link is the $30 million NASA-contracted spacecraft built to rescue the $500 million Swift gamma-ray observatory, which was already in trouble before its would-be rescuer started spinning on multiple axes. One broken mission is now two.
The full article details the specific recovery plan engineers are attempting, including how they intend to stabilize a spacecraft with degraded attitude control and intermittent comms. The engineering problem is worth understanding on its own terms.
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