NASA seeks industry plans to save Hubble from orbital decay

First reported 01 Nov, 15:45 UTCSource: The Next WebLast editorial activity 01 Nov, 15:45 UTCWrite a comment ↓

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NASA has asked private industry to propose ways of rescuing the Hubble Space Telescope before it drops out of orbit. According to The Next Web, the agency wants companies to explain how they could lift the 36-year-old observatory higher, service it or steer it down safely.

Request covers three possible options

The request for information was issued on 29 October, and responses are due by 30 November. NASA said on Friday that it wants proposals covering a boost to the telescope, its servicing, or a controlled descent.

Citing the request document, Ars Technica reported that any boost would need to reach at least 600 km and must not harm the telescope. A company offering a rescue would supply the rocket, the servicing spacecraft and mission operations, and a crew if one were required.

Timeline and funding remain uncertain

NASA wants a mission in place by 2032, before Hubble is likely to re-enter the atmosphere in 2033 or 2034. The agency's own analysis puts that re-entry window there. Hubble currently orbits at about 470 km, and the space shuttle Columbia last raised it, to 583 km, in 2002.

According to Ars Technica, NASA is not committing to buy a mission and has no money set aside for one. The Register reported that NASA puts the chance of re-entry at 10 per cent by September 2032, rising to 50 per cent by December 2033.

Earlier rescue offer did not proceed

NASA has tried this before. In 2022, Jared Isaacman, then a private astronaut and now NASA Administrator, offered to pay for most of a crewed Hubble mission on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. That year the agency also asked industry for ideas and received eight responses.

Hubble is heavy enough that an uncontrolled fall would carry a small risk to people on the ground. The smaller Swift observatory, which a startup failed to rescue, is about to burn up, underlining the difficulty of such missions.

Open questions

Will any company submit a credible rescue proposal by 30 November?
Will NASA secure funding for a mission before the 2032 target?

Key facts

Hubble has no engine of its own and is slowly sinking in orbit.

NASA asked companies on 29 October for ways to raise, service or safely lower the 36-year-old telescope.

Responses are due by 30 November.

NASA wants a mission in place by 2032, ahead of a likely re-entry in 2033 or 2034.

NASA is not committing to buy a mission and has no funding set aside for one.