It’s hard to overstate just how remarkable the Hubble Space Telescope is. Recently, NASA and the scientific community have celebrated 35 years of this iconic telescope, reflecting on the stunning images and significant discoveries it has contributed to our understanding of the cosmos.
The idea of using space telescopes isn’t new—NASA started fundraising for Hubble back in the 1970s, even before the space shuttle was operational. After several technical hiccups, including setbacks from the Challenger disaster, the Space Shuttle Discovery successfully launched Hubble into orbit on April 24, 1990.
Hubble was built with the expectation that it would be regularly serviced by a space shuttle, which turned out to be quite beneficial. Shortly after Hubble began functioning, scientists realized that a flaw in its mirror was distorting the images it captured.
Rather than giving up on Hubble, NASA took action to correct the problem.
The first servicing mission took place in December 1993, during which repairs and upgrades were made. This included replacing the faulty high-speed photometer and upgrading the camera with an internal optical correction system that vastly improved image quality.
With the success of this servicing mission, Hubble began to contribute seriously to scientific knowledge, continuously revealing secrets of the universe—from far-off galaxies to nearby planets.
NASA conducted a total of five servicing missions, the last of which concluded in 2009, just before the Space Shuttle program ended.
Since then, Hubble has continued to operate without any additional servicing missions. However, there’s growing concern that without further intervention, the telescope could eventually fail due to aging components. As a result, NASA is now weighing options: they might build new optical space telescopes or organize another servicing mission to extend Hubble’s operational life.
A year ago, Jared Isaacman proposed a repair mission using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. This spacecraft would elevate Hubble’s orbit, allowing astronauts to perform necessary repairs. Initially, NASA was hesitant, citing concerns over potential damage to the telescope and risks to the crew. However, with new leadership at NASA, there may be a chance to reconsider repair operations with agency astronauts.
Space.com noted that Hubble’s trajectory is beginning to degrade, and only two of its six gyroscopes are functioning. This limitation affects the telescope’s ability to maneuver efficiently between targets.
Given that situation, NASA estimates Hubble may have about ten years of operational life left before it risks an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
There are significant challenges associated with sending crews to Hubble. The telescope was designed to be serviced by a Space Shuttle, which had a robotic arm designed for such needs. Unfortunately, the Crew Dragon lacks the equipment to securely handle Hubble, which raises concerns about the feasibility of a crewed mission. The real danger is that an astronaut could unintentionally damage the telescope.
Another approach would be to accept that if the remaining gyroscopes continue to function, Hubble’s time is limited. After that, NASA may not have another space telescope available to continue its observations.
This underscores the importance of starting projects to develop and launch successors to Hubble.
Ars Technica pointed out that SpaceX’s Starship could potentially enhance Hubble’s capabilities significantly. Additionally, there are proposals for a new spacecraft that would act as a flying telescope with a 9-meter mirror, much larger than Hubble’s 2.4-meter mirror, with projected costs ranging from $25 billion to $500 million.
Budget constraints are a real concern for NASA in the near future. Isaacman, as a business figure, may help ensure that potential successors to Hubble can be realized within a reasonable time frame.
Mark R. Whittington, who often writes about space policy, has published various works including “Why is it so difficult to get back to the moon?” and blogs at Curmudgeons corner.
