NASA wants to try to save the Hubble Telescope, which is losing altitude

Hubble has been in orbit around the Earth for 32 years. It is a longevity record. Thanks to this precious telescope, scientists have been able to observe exoplanets located outside our solar system. They were able to examine black holes and nebulae. Hubble was able to show us with a picture that there were 300 billion galaxies in the universe. This good old telescope is losing altitude, because here it is trapped by gravity and has no lifters. It is currently sailing 540 km from Earth, and if nothing is done, it risks entering the atmosphere and colliding, starting in 2037.

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So in order to avoid losing it so quickly, this NASA Just before Christmas, a call out to companies in the space business. It is waiting for technical proposals from them to lift Hubble to a higher orbit.

The idea is to send a satellite equipped with a mechanical arm that can stick to the telescope at full speed, explained Alan Serro, the magazine’s managing editor. sky and space. It is a satellite that will then arrive thanks to a motor that pulls it and lifts it to an altitude of 600 km. All without a crew, which means everything has to be programmed remotely and in advance: approach, docking, propulsion, etc. It is technically possible but risky because the slightest mistake can damage the Hubble Telescope or its mirrors.

Hubble is precious

NASA wants to save this telescope – when we have it now James Webb Because Hubble continues to send us images and continues to complement James Webb. Hubble takes pictures in the visible and ultraviolet, while James Webb observes space in the infrared.

So it’s hard for NASA to imagine losing this gem of technology that still works. Hence this rescue will also be an innovation for the future. The limitation is that time is running out because to save Hubble it would ideally be necessary to intervene before 2025, before its trajectory becomes too unstable. SpaceX Corporation Already volunteered to participate in operations.