The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has asked commercial companies to propose solutions for raising the orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope, ScienceDaily reports, according to infohub.kz.
The agency has begun searching for private partners to save the legendary astronomical observatory from an inevitable fall to Earth. The spacecraft has been in low Earth orbit for more than 35 years. Because it has no engines of its own to correct its course, drag from the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere is gradually lowering the telescope.
According to the agency's calculations, without outside intervention the telescope will leave orbit and burn up in the atmosphere in 2033 or 2034. To prevent the destruction of the science station, an operation to raise it to a safer orbit must be carried out no later than 2032.
NASA has issued an official request for information to the private aerospace sector, hoping to find commercial technologies for servicing the spacecraft in orbit. Experts are considering several options: docking with Hubble and moving it to a higher orbit so astronomical observations can continue, upgrading its instruments, or later bringing it down in a controlled reentry over a safe area of the ocean.
According to Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, the growth of commercial spaceflight offers a chance to extend the life of the iconic telescope. Technical proposals from interested companies will be accepted until November 30. The Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin Space and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore will continue to lead engineering and scientific support for the mission.