NASA has issued a Request For Information asking commercial companies for proposals to reboost, service, or achieve a controlled disposal of the Hubble Space Telescope by 2032. Operating for 36 years, the observatory faces atmospheric reentry in the early-to-mid-2030s unless an external mission alters its decreasing orbit.
The Hubble Space Telescope still shines in the eyes of astronomers after 36 years in orbit, but it is not as nimble as it once was. Left without intervention, the aging observatory will plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere during the early-to-mid-2030s, ending the operational life of one of history’s most famous scientific instruments.
NASA last raised Hubble’s altitude in 2002 during a servicing mission by the Space Shuttle Columbia. Although a final shuttle flight visited the telescope in 2009, that mission did not reboost its orbit. The retirement of the shuttle fleet two years later left the space agency without an in-house way to stave off the telescope’s eventual destruction.
NASA Seeks Commercial Rescuers
To explore potential solutions, NASA released a Request For Information asking commercial companies for concepts to capture Hubble, enhance its performance, boost its altitude, or guide it to a controlled reentry. Responses are due by November 30.
The space agency’s requirements state that any contractor must provide the launch vehicle, servicing spacecraft, mission operations, and crew if applicable.
Furthermore, the selected mission must not harm the telescope and is expected to take place by 2032.
NASA has not yet committed to purchasing a rescue mission. Instead, officials are trying to determine industry interest, estimated costs, and which commercial entities realistically possess the capability to reach Hubble before it burns up on reentry.
Orbital Decay and Future Projections
Orbital dynamicists currently forecast that Hubble will likely fall out of orbit in 2033 or 2034, though solar activity can alter reentry timelines. Because the telescope lacks onboard propulsion, it took 24 years to glide down from its 2002 altitude of 362 miles to its current position roughly 292 miles above Earth.
Under NASA’s current parameters, any successful rescue mission must boost the observatory to an altitude of at least 373 miles. Achieving that target would likely extend the telescope’s operational life by at least 25 additional years.
