US space agency Nasa will have to decide soon whether to boost the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, to a higher orbit, or let it continue to fall back towards Earth, according to Bloomberg.
It reports that the US has spent at least US$16-billion to design, build and operate the Hubble, a project that has redefined our understanding of the universe, and proved critical in training a generation of scientists and engineers.
Scientists had speculated on what might be seen by a telescope situated beyond the distorting effects of Earth’s atmosphere. In the 1970s Nasa authorised Hubble’s development.
It was designed to be repaired and serviced in space. When Hubble was launched in 1990, it had a flaw in its mirror that rendered its images blurry.
In 1993 the Space Shuttle embarked on a successful mission to correct the Hubble’s optics.
Four more servicing missions were launched, most recently in 2009: the Space Shuttle was then retired.
Hubble remains scientifically relevant, providing valuable observations of nearby stars, galaxies and black holes. It also complements the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope, which observes older, more distant objects.
Bloomberg reports that Nasa believes a boost would be possible at an altitude as low as roughly 500km, which will reach around 2025. After that, the telescope will likely burn up in the atmosphere, with the remaining fragments crashing into Earth.
In September 2022, Nasa agreed to study whether it would be possible to boost and repair it using a spacecraft from Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Nasa has since requested other companies to send proposals.
According to Bloomberg, Nasa expects the mission to be performed free, as it would offer a priceless marketing opportunity for interested companies.
[Image: Hubble ESA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97339390]