NASA Asks Private Industry for Ways to Boost, Upgrade or Safely Retire the Hubble Space Telescope

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (TodayViralUSA) — NASA is asking private companies whether they could boost the Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit, upgrade it or eventually bring it down safely, as the agency looks for ways to keep its 36-year-old observatory working well into the next decade.

The agency issued a formal Request for Information on Thursday seeking industry ideas for in-space servicing of Hubble. Responses are due by 3 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Nov. 30.

A slowly sinking orbit

Like every spacecraft in low Earth orbit, Hubble is gradually losing altitude because of atmospheric drag, and it has no propulsion system of its own to climb back up. NASA’s analysis projects that the telescope will likely re-enter the atmosphere in 2033 or 2034, which means any mission to raise or service it would need to fly by 2032.

NASA said it wants to hear about three possibilities: a mission to lift Hubble to a higher altitude to extend its science lifetime, a servicing mission to enhance its capabilities, and a safe, controlled re-entry or disposal at the end of its mission.

‘We owe it to the American taxpayer’

“Hubble still has important science ahead of it, and we should be looking at every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering for as long as possible,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said. “If there are innovative and cost-effective ways to extend the life of an asset already on orbit, we owe it to the American taxpayer and the scientific community to explore them.”

Nicky Fox, who leads NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said commercial companies have “rapidly evolved in recent years to offer new capabilities for in-space satellite capture and servicing,” and that the agency is eager to explore options “while we develop the flagship mission to follow.”

A telescope that changed astronomy

Launched in 1990, Hubble was repaired and upgraded by astronauts on five space shuttle missions, the last in 2009. Since the shuttle fleet was retired in 2011, no crew has been able to reach it. The telescope has continued to produce science alongside the newer James Webb Space Telescope, which observes mainly in infrared light, while Hubble covers visible and ultraviolet wavelengths.

A request for information is an early, non-binding step that helps NASA gauge what industry can offer; it does not commit the agency to fund a mission.