A non-exclusive SpaceX study of Hubble Space Telescope reboost options is underway. On Thursday, December 22, 2022, NASA issued a request for information to learn more about the available commercial options for reviving an in-orbit satellite using HST as a demonstration, at no cost to the government. At this time, there are no plans for NASA to conduct or fund a dedicated Hubble servicing mission. The request for information will remain open until Tuesday, January 24, 2023, as NASA continues to explore options for the future of Hubble.
NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded Space Act agreement Thursday, Sept. 22, to explore the feasibility of a SpaceX and Polaris program idea to boost the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with the Dragon spacecraft at no cost to the government. NASA does not plan to conduct or fund a servicing mission or compete for this opportunity; the study is designed to help the agency understand commercial options.
SpaceX – in partnership with the Polaris program – designed this study to better understand the technical challenges associated with servicing missions. This study is non-exclusive and other companies may propose similar studies with different rockets or spacecraft as their model. The teams expect the study to last up to six months, collecting technical data from both Hubble and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This data will help determine whether it would be possible to safely rendezvous, dock and move the telescope to a more stable orbit.
“This study is an exciting example of the innovative approaches NASA is exploring through private-public partnerships,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “As our fleet grows, we want to explore a wide range of opportunities to support the most robust, sophisticated science missions possible.” While Hubble and Dragon will serve as test models for this study, parts of the mission concept may be applicable to other spacecraft, especially those in near-Earth orbit like Hubble.
Hubble has been operating since 1990, about 335 miles above Earth in an orbit that is slowly decaying over time. Restarting Hubble to a higher, more stable orbit could extend its life by several years of operation. At the end of its life, NASA plans to safely de-orbit or dispose of Hubble. “SpaceX and the Polaris program want to push the boundaries of current technologies and explore how commercial partnerships can creatively solve challenging and complex problems,” said Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX. “Missions like the Hubble service would help us expand our space capabilities to ultimately help us all achieve our goals of becoming a space-based, multiplanetary civilization.”
