![]() Over the years, the observatory was visited and serviced by space shuttles five times between 19 and saw all of the existing orbiters post-Challenger visit the telescope at least once.įollowing the 2009 servicing mission, Hubble was expected to last at least through 2014. The agency said there is a 50% probability that its orbit would decay and reenter by around 2037. It’s unclear if that would actually be required before the end of the telescope’s life. NASA said its hope would be to boost the telescope to near its original deployment altitude. The International Space Station, for comparison, is roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) inclined 51.6 degrees. Since then, its orbit has reduced to about 335 miles (540 kilometers). Hubble was launched by space shuttle Discovery’s STS-31 mission on April 24, 1990, and placed into an initial orbit of about 380 miles (610 kilometers) inclined about 28.5 degrees from the equator. Its primary mirror is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) in diameter and observes the universe in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelengths.įor comparison, the recently activated James Webb Space Telescope has a primary mirror diameter of about 21 feet (6.5 meters) and observes in the orange to mid-infrared wavelengths. The telescope is about 43 feet (13.2 meters) long and 14 feet (4.2 meters) wide with a mass of about 11 metric tons. The results of the study could potentially be applied to other spacecraft and commercial vehicles, NASA said.Ĭrew Dragon Endeavour as it approached the International Space Station in April 2021. There are currently no plans to actually conduct or fund such a mission. Overall, this Hubble study is expected to take about six months and will collect data from the 32-year-old Hubble telescope and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to determine whether it would be possible to safely rendezvous, dock and move the telescope into a higher orbit, NASA said. “Missions such as servicing Hubble would help us expand space capabilities to ultimately help all of us achieve our goals of becoming a space-faring, multiplanetary civilization.” “SpaceX and the Polaris Program want to expand the boundaries of current technology and explore how commercial partnerships can creatively solve challenging, complex problems,” said Jessica Jensen, vice president of Customer Operations and Integration at SpaceX. The first Polaris mission, Polaris Dawn, looks to see a Crew Dragon launched into space with four people early next year to test out a new space suit for SpaceX. SpaceX is partnering with the Polaris Program, which itself is a collaboration between the company and billionaire Jared Isaacman to build up the company’s in-space capabilities. “As our fleet grows, we want to explore a wide range of opportunities to support the most robust, superlative science missions possible.” “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. NASA said the study is non-exclusive to SpaceX - other companies can bring forth proposals. The goal is to better understand the technical challenges associated with commercial servicing missions. The agency stressed this is just a study with no exchange of funds between the government and SpaceX. NASA has signed a contract with SpaceX to study the possibility of reboosting the aging Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit using the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. ![]() NASA is looking at the possibility of using a SpaceX Crew Dragon to potentially boost the observatory’s orbit later this decade. A view of the Hubble Space Telescope following its final servicing mission in 2009. ![]()
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