NASA Considers Using Private Spacecraft to Extend Life of Hubble Space Telescope

NASA is considering the possibility of using a private spacecraft to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Space.com reports that on Dec. 22, the space agency issued a Request for Information regarding a study conducted by SpaceX earlier this year that explored how the telescope could be "rebooted" into a higher orbit.

Since the start of its operations in 1990, the orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope has been decaying, and raising it to a higher, more stable orbit could add years to its operating lifetime.

NASA Plans to Boost Hubble Telescope

In the past, NASA used space shuttles to restart the telescope during servicing missions. However, the space shuttle fleet was retired in 2011, and NASA currently has no plans to operate or fund a new servicing mission for the telescope.

A SpaceX study was made to help NASA figure out if it would be possible to use a commercial spacecraft to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope and how hard it would be to do so technically. The fact that the study is non-exclusive means that other companies can propose their servicing studies using different rockets or spacecraft.

These studies will collect data from the Hubble Space Telescope and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to assess the possibility of safely rendezvousing and docking with the telescope before shunting it to a higher, stable orbit. The studies are expected to take around six months to complete.

A Look at NASA's Request for Information

NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking interest in demonstrating commercial capabilities to re-boost the orbit of a satellite. NASA is considering utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for a demonstration in the coming years and is seeking partners to participate in the mission on a no-exchange-of-funds basis.

Should NASA decide to pursue the demonstration, the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) will provide technical information and consultation with HST experts to facilitate rendezvous, docking, and reboost.

All other resources, like the launch vehicle, spacecraft, crew (if needed for the approach), and mission operations (except for HST operations during the mission), will be provided by partners.

If successful, the operation to boost the Hubble Space Telescope would demonstrate how older satellites and spacecraft could be given extended operating lives, especially those in near-Earth orbits.

It would also be fun to show how NASA is trying out new ideas through partnerships with the private sector.

What's Next?

The HST, which has been in low-Earth orbit since its launch in 1990, is predicted to reach an altitude of 500 km in approximately 2025, at which point rendezvous may become more complex.

Without reboosting, the HST is predicted to reenter the Earth's atmosphere in the mid-2020s. To extend its mission and continue producing outstanding science, NASA is seeking partners with demonstrated capabilities to support a concept of operations for conducting a restart demonstration.

Responses to the RFI are expected to include a description of the technical approach, the length of the docked period, the number of burns, and the amount of boost expected, as well as an assessment of the risk to the HST and the likelihood of success. Partners must be based in the United States.

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