NASA issued a request for information on Oct. 29 asking companies how commercial spacecraft could service the Hubble Space Telescope, push it into a higher orbit or retire it safely, the agency said in a release republished by ScienceDaily on Nov. 4. Responses are due by 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 30.
Related: Hubble Finds 37 Dwarf Galaxies Kept Only About 11% of the Oxygen Their Stars Made.
Why Hubble is running out of time
Hubble orbits in low Earth orbit, where thin traces of atmosphere create drag that slowly lowers its altitude, NASA said. The telescope has no propulsion system to raise its own orbit. NASA’s current analysis projects re-entry between 2033 and 2034, and a boost mission would need to happen by 2032, the agency said.
What NASA is asking for
The agency is seeking information on three options, according to the release. One is a spacecraft that pushes Hubble higher. Another is a servicing mission that improves its capabilities. A third is a safe end of mission, through a controlled descent or disposal in orbit.
NASA said the options are being explored and are not approved.
What officials said
“Hubble still has important science ahead of it,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in the release. Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said commercial industry now offers new capabilities for capturing and servicing satellites in space.
Who runs Hubble
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope, with operations support from Lockheed Martin Space, NASA said. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore runs science operations. Hubble is a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency. More coverage is in Science and Technology.
Sources
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