the space telescope hubble is one of the most loved space study, analysis and exploration tools among the expert community. But nothing is forever and the days of the device are numbered by the POT.
In fact, there is a very specific protocol already developed that is contemplated to be applied to the letter when the time comes to give this legendary artifact its Viking funeral. Even, curiously, the plan is quite similar to the one they contemplate with the International Space Station (ISS) when the time comes to retire her in 2031.
Currently the telescope is going through a complex moment. There is a real danger that the ship will end up out of orbit, due to the natural order of its inertia of movement after more than three decades in space.
But at the same time there are some proposals from different entities and companies in the sector, such as SpaceXwho raise some ideas and projects that seek to expand the useful life of Hubble, but NASA has not agreed to any of these approaches.
The big unknown is why the space agency would not be acceding to these ideas. But the explanation itself would be very simple.
SpaceX and other entities want to extend the life of Hubble but NASA does not react for a simple reason
A couple of weeks ago the friends of Space.com they published a long article, almost like a future elegy, where they detailed the situation of Hubble.
Slowly but irrefutably going out of orbit, which puts the continuity of its use at risk due to multiple factors. From the calibration of its instruments to the surrounding space debris and its frank risk of future collision. The obvious conclusion is that the telescope’s days are numbered.
Fruit of joint work between the NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), Hubble is currently located at the outer edges of the atmosphere, 593 kilometers from our planet and orbits Earth once every 96-97 minutes. It was put into orbit in April 1990 and after 33 years of activity it is natural that it is completing its cycle.
However, companies like Momentus, Astroscale and even SpaceX They have approached the space agency with different kinds of proposals to extend the useful life of the telescope.
All the ideas basically call for using a rocket to attach to the telescope and move its orbit about 50 kilometers in upward order and then clean up all the nearby space junk.
The reason why NASA would not support these initiatives, basically, would be due to the high cost that it has, requiring a considerable investment where it would be mandatory to involve multiple instances, both public and private.
Today it is a financial and bureaucratic nightmare to consider fixing Hubble’s orbit. To such a degree that crashing it doesn’t sound like a bad idea.