NASA asks companies how to save the Hubble telescope
NASA has asked commercial firms for ideas to boost, service or safely bring down the ageing Hubble telescope, with replies due November 30.
The facts
- According to Ars Technica, Hubble has spent 36 years in orbit. Left alone, it will fall back into the atmosphere in the early-to-mid-2030s.
- Hubble's orbit was last raised in 2002, during a Space Shuttle Columbia servicing mission. The 2009 final shuttle servicing flight did not reboost it.
- NASA released a Request For Information on Thursday. It wants ideas on reboosting, servicing or a controlled disposal of the telescope, with responses due November 30.
- NASA is asking about capabilities to capture Hubble and lift it to at least 373 miles (600 km), upgrade it, or guide it to a controlled reentry.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Hubble has been losing height slowly since the shuttle fleet retired, and nobody had a way to push it back up. Now NASA is asking private companies whether they can do the job. Note what is being asked: not a new telescope, but a rescue of an old one. That is a test of whether anyone can service hardware already in orbit.
For builders
An RFI is a request for ideas, not a contract. Still, it shows what NASA wants to buy: capture, reboost, upgrade and controlled disposal in orbit. If you build in space robotics, propulsion or docking, read the November 30 requirements closely.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Ars Technica's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.