NASA Seeks Proposals for Reboosting the Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope "will plunge back into the atmosphere in the early-to-mid-2030s," reports Ars Technica. So now NASA has released a Request For Information (RFI) "asking commercial companies for ideas on how to reboost, service, or a controlled disposal of Hubble." Specifically, NASA is looking for information about companies' current and near-term capabilities for capturing Hubble and…
NASA has issued a Request For Information (RFI) to commercial companies seeking proposals for reboosting, servicing, or controlled disposal of the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope is expected to reenter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up in the early-to-mid 2030s without intervention. NASA wants to know about companies' current and near-term capabilities to capture Hubble, boost it to at least 373 miles (600 km) altitude, enhance its performance, or guide it to a safe reentry.
The mission, if undertaken, must not harm Hubble and would involve providing the launch vehicle, servicing spacecraft, mission operations, and crew if applicable. The contractor would be responsible for all aspects of the mission, with NASA not committing to purchasing a rescue mission. Hubble's altitude loss is accelerating due to the retirement of the space shuttle fleet, which last raised its orbit in 2002 during a servicing mission.
Newer telescopes like the Webb and Roman observatories, while valuable, are not direct replacements for Hubble, as they specialize in infrared and visible infrared light, respectively.
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