Hubble: NASA sounds out industry on extending the telescope's life
· BehindLines newsroom
NASA is looking for companies able to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope. On 29 October the agency issued a request for information to find out which firms could raise its orbit, upgrade it or, eventually, bring it back in a controlled way towards Earth. Responses are due until 3 p.m. (15:00) East Coast time on 30 November.
Three options on the table
NASA's text lists three possibilities: a mission to push Hubble to a higher altitude to lengthen its scientific life; a servicing visit to improve its capabilities; or a controlled re-entry into the atmosphere, or disposal in orbit, at the end of its life. The telescope, launched in 1990, is a cooperation project between NASA and ESA, the European space agency. It has operated for more than three decades and keeps producing discoveries.
Why now
Like any craft in low orbit, Hubble gradually loses altitude because of atmospheric drag, and it has no propulsion to correct its path. NASA's analyses place its re-entry between 2033 and 2034. The agency therefore reckons a servicing mission would have to take place by 2032. In its statement, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman says every reasonable option should be examined so the telescope can keep delivering science, provided the options are cost-effective. Nicky Fox, who oversees science missions, notes that industry has made great strides in satellite capture and servicing.
The shadow of Swift
The Associated Press links the call to the fate of the Swift observatory, which fell back on 4 November after a rescue operation launched in July by a private company, Katalyst Space, failed. For Hubble, NASA has more time than it had for Swift, whose rescue was put together in a hurry, Nicky Fox said. The AP also points out that solar storms are eating away at the orbits of both observatories.
At this stage this is only a consultation of industry, not a decision to launch a mission.