At NASA hatch planes reboot of the Hubble Space Observatory. The telescope equipment, which has been in orbit for more than 30 years, requires repairs and maintenance, and there is also the problem of raising the observatory’s orbit. By 2025, Hubble’s orbit will drop to 500 km and its support will become more difficult. To address these issues, NASA has issued a request for all available companies to participate in missions to extend the work of the observatory. Restart “Hubble” to be.
Image source: NASA
NASA this summer extended the Hubble mission until 2026. Judging by the submitted application, the agency is ready to continue supporting the operation of the telescope, but without maintenance and raising the orbit, this will be impossible. Earlier this year NASA concluded a non-exclusive telescope services study agreement with SpaceX. The Crew Dragon ship can be used for this. At the moment, there is no information on how SpaceX intends to carry out such a mission.
Since the contract with SpaceX is not exclusive, NASA has made an open request for everyone to participate in the Hubble restart program. A short curriculum vitae of the candidates on the resolution of the problem must be submitted no later than 8 weeks and a detailed one no later than 24 weeks.
Interestingly, NASA does not intend to pay for the mission to raise the telescope’s orbit. The contract will be concluded on the basis of a non-exchange loan. The point is, the best design will be the basis for NASA to service the many other satellites in orbit, from repairs to re-orbits. After testing the technology for free during Hubble’s ascent into orbit, the applicant will have access to NASA contracts for years and even decades to come.
If you notice an error, select it with the mouse and press CTRL + ENTER.
