NASA, SpaceX to study Hubble telescope, to de-orbit or destroy it at the end

NASA revealed on Thursday that it intends to examine the possibility of launching the ailing Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit using SpaceX's Crew Dragon aircraft.

The government organisation and SpaceX have agreed to work together for six months to explore the viability of a Dragon spacecraft docking with the 32-year-old telescope and launching it into a higher orbit.

This info will assess whether it would be safe to dock, connect, and transfer the telescope to a more stable trajectory. Since the study is not exclusive, other firms can suggest similar ideas using different rockets and spacecraft.

"This study is an exciting example of the innovative approaches NASA is exploring through private-public partnerships," said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "As our fleet grows, we want to explore a wide range of opportunities to support the most robust, superlative science missions possible."

How will the partnership aid Hubble?

The Hubble study will answer several questions, including the cost and technological viability of such a trip. The main objective is to raise Hubble's height from its value of 535 km to 600 km, bringing it back to the altitude it was at its initial launch in 1990. Hubble has been gradually losing altitude since the fifth, and final servicing mission in 2009, and this cycle is anticipated to quicken as the telescope descends. Even though Hubble and Dragon will serve as test models for this study, parts of the mission idea may also apply to other spacecraft, especially those in the same low-Earth orbit as Hubble.

Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has been operating 335 miles above Earth in a slowly eroding orbit. Reboosting Hubble into a high, better stable orbit could extend its operational life by several years. NASA intends to safely de-orbit or destroy Hubble at the end of its working life.

Potential service solutions will also be examined, though nothing of the scale of the extensive instrument upgrades and replacements carried out during Hubble servicing trips with NASA's space shuttle. Instead, engineers from NASA and SpaceX will determine if it is feasible to replace the gyroscopes that regulate the telescope's pointing. Six gyroscopes were included on the spacecraft; however only three are still functional.

This article was written by Ananya Jena.