NASA and SpaceX are currently studying the possibility of extending the life of the Hubble Space Telescope by using a SpaceX Dragon probe to place it in a higher orbit. As a reminder, the Hubble Space Telescope left Earth 32 years ago and was recently replaced by the more powerful James Webb Space Telescope. Still, Hubble’s destiny is not yet over.
NASA and SpaceX on Thursday signed the Space Act Agreement, a pact that imposes no cost on the US government but could, if the study favors it, use a privately-funded SpaceX Dragon spacecraft , to do the job. The idea is to tether Dragon to Hubble and place it in a more stable orbit. The study is a partnership with the Polaris program, a private initiative by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman that focuses on human space missions.
“This study is an exciting example of the innovative approaches NASA is exploring through private-public partnerships,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Chief of Science. “As our fleet grows, we want to explore a wide range of opportunities to support the most robust and superlative science missions possible. »
End of mission by 2030?
Hubble’s orbit is just above the atmosphere, but this degrades over time. NASA says repositioning Hubble to a higher, more stable orbit could add years to its operational life.
As a reminder, after the decommissioning of Hubble, NASA plans to deorbit the satellite or eliminate it. This is a challenge for NASA, which is supporting several studies aimed at understanding the impact of orbital debris as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) becomes increasingly crowded with active satellites, rocks, old intentionally detonated rocket and satellite stages.
Based on Hubble’s current orbital decline, NASA believes it will be decommissioned by 2030. However, at a higher altitude, the space telescope could survive another 15 to 20 years. “It is entirely appropriate for us to consider this question because of the enormous value of this research asset for us and for others”, indicates one of the NASA side, according to CNBC. The question of cost is a hot topic for NASA, whose Artemis I mission to jump-start human exploration of the Moon around 2024 has cost the agency $40 billion so far.
Source: ZDNet.com