NASA has asked commercial space companies for information on servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, with options including boosting its orbit, enhancing its performance and resilience, or conducting a controlled reentry.
The agency posted a contract opportunity notice, also known as a request for information, seeking input from commercial organisations capable of servicing the observatory. The last Hubble servicing mission was the STS-125 Space Shuttle flight in May 2009, which scientists hoped would add five years of operational life. Almost 17 years later, Hubble continues to deliver science, but time is running out for the observatory.
Hubble has no propulsion system, meaning its eventual reentry will be uncontrolled unless a mission intervenes. NASA estimates a 10 percent chance of reentry by September 2032 and a 50 percent chance by December 2033. Increased solar activity, as the Swift mission showed, can cause greater-than-anticipated atmospheric drag.
One option is a controlled reentry and disposal, but NASA also suggests boosting the telescope’s orbit to at least 600 kilometres or enhancing its performance and resilience to extend its lifetime. No replacement for Hubble is expected before the Habitable Worlds Observatory could become operational in the 2040s, the agency acknowledges. Hubble remains in high demand, with NASA reporting a 7:1 oversubscription.
A soft-capture mechanism fitted during the 2009 mission will simplify docking. Before becoming NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman advocated a SpaceX mission to boost Hubble, but that idea was rejected. Similar plans could now be revisited. NASA requires any mission to occur by 2032 and not harm the telescope. No budget figure has been disclosed.
The observatory recently switched from three- to one-gyro mode to eke out a few more years of operational life. John Grunsfeld, a retired astronaut who worked on Hubble during the 2009 servicing mission, said the veteran spacecraft faced death by a thousand cuts as its budget was whittled away, according to The Register. NASA’s request is for information and comment, not a request for proposals.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Hubble remains one of the most productive scientific instruments in space, with demand far outstripping available observation time.
- Without intervention, the telescope will undergo an uncontrolled reentry within the next decade, posing a remote but real risk to populated areas.
- The RFI marks the first serious step toward a commercial servicing mission that could extend Hubble’s life until a replacement arrives in the 2040s.
Background
Hubble was launched in 1990 and serviced five times by Space Shuttle astronauts. The last mission in 2009 installed new instruments and the soft-capture mechanism that now makes commercial docking feasible. The telescope’s orbit has been decaying naturally; it has no thrusters to adjust its altitude. Recently, it entered single-gyro mode to conserve components. The Habitable Worlds Observatory, planned as Hubble’s eventual successor, is not expected before the 2040s.
What to Watch
- The response from commercial space companies and any formal proposals that emerge.
- NASA’s decision on which path, boost, enhancement, or controlled deorbit, to pursue.
- The schedule for a potential mission, which must occur by 2032 per NASA’s stated requirement.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedNASA is seeking commercial ideas to service Hubble or manage its reentry.www.theregister.com - Articles: “NASA has posted a contract opportunity notice, also known as a request for information, from commercial space orgs who can service the Hubble Space Telescope.”
- SupportedNASA issued a request for information as the odds of an uncontrolled reentry rise.www.theregister.com - Articles: “NASA reckons there is a 10 percent chance it could reenter the Earth's atmosphere by September 2032, rising to 50 percent by December 2033.”
- SupportedNASA asked commercial space companies for information on servicing Hubble.www.theregister.com - Articles: “NASA has posted a contract opportunity notice, also known as a request for information, from commercial space orgs who can service the Hubble Space Telescope.”
- SupportedThe options include boosting Hubble's orbit, enhancing its performance and resilience, or conducting a controlled reentry.www.theregister.com - Articles: “one mission option suggested by NASA is a vehicle to grapple the observatory and perform a controlled reentry and disposal. However, there are other options. Something to boost the telescope's orbit up to at least 600 km, or another to "enhance its ongoing performance and increase its resilience and expected on-orbit lifetime."”
- SupportedNASA estimates a 10 percent chance of reentry by September 2032 and a 50 percent chance by December 2033.www.theregister.com - Articles: “NASA reckons there is a 10 percent chance it could reenter the Earth's atmosphere by September 2032, rising to 50 percent by December 2033.”
- SupportedHubble has no propulsion system, so its reentry will be uncontrolled without intervention.www.theregister.com - Articles: “like Swift, Hubble has no propulsion system, and so when it reenters (as it will, without intervention), the reentry will be uncontrolled.”
- SupportedNo Hubble replacement is expected before the Habitable Worlds Observatory could become operational in the 2040s.www.theregister.com - Articles: “no replacement for Hubble is expected before the 2040s, when the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) could become operational.”
- SupportedNASA reports that Hubble is oversubscribed by 7:1.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Hubble remains in high demand, with NASA reporting a 7:1 oversubscription.”
- SupportedBefore becoming NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman advocated a SpaceX mission to boost Hubble, but the idea was rejected.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Before becoming NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman advocated a SpaceX mission to boost the Hubble, but the idea was ultimately rejected.”
- SupportedNASA requires a mission to occur by 2032 and not harm Hubble.www.theregister.com - Articles: “NASA's requirement is for a mission to occur by 2032, and not harm the Hubble.”
- SupportedJohn Grunsfeld, a retired astronaut who worked on Hubble during the STS-125 mission, said the telescope faced 'death by a thousand cuts' as its budget was whittled away.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Grunsfeld told us that the veteran spacecraft faced death by a thousand cuts as its budget was whittled away.”
- SupportedNASA's request is for information and comment, not a request for proposals.www.theregister.com - Articles: “At this point, NASA is looking for information and comment – this isn't a request for proposals.”
