The U.S. space agency NASA launched a mission on Friday using a robot to try to prevent one of its aging telescopes from burning up in the atmosphere, a complex process expected to take months.

This unprecedented initiative, costing $30 million, involves sending a robot to rescue the Swift space telescope, which is currently falling toward Earth.

If successful, the mission could pave the way for giving other satellites a second life.

The robot was initially scheduled for launch on Tuesday, but the operation was postponed due to weather and then technical issues, and was finally launched on Friday at 08:36 GMT from a coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

The U.S. startup company Catalyst developed the space robot, which was launched by a small rocket called Pegasus that was itself launched from an aircraft.

Once it reaches an orbit close to Swift's orbit, the robot will deploy its solar panels and conduct a series of checks.

It will then have to locate the Swift telescope in space, orbit around it, and dock with it using three robotic arms, maneuvers expected to take several weeks.

Finally, it will attempt to push the satellite to rise about 300 kilometers above Earth, returning it to approximately its original orbital position, a process expected to take at least a month.

The Swift telescope cost $250 million and is used to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe.

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, director of astrophysics at NASA, told reporters on Tuesday that the operation includes 'many firsts,' adding, 'I am very grateful that we even attempted the mission.'