NASA seeks plan to save Hubble from falling to Earth — SkimNews
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- Hubble Space Telescope is slowly falling to Earth due to atmospheric drag, with a 10% chance of re-entry by September 2032 and a 50% chance by December 2033, according to NASA estimates.
- NASA has issued a call for commercial companies to submit plans by 30 November to either raise Hubble’s orbit to at least 600 kilometers or safely de-orbit it into the ocean.
- Thomas Haworth at Queen Mary University of London is advising NASA and says the scientific panel he’s part of is prioritizing an orbital boost and will strongly recommend it in an upcoming report.
- Stephen Wilkins at the University of Sussex argues Hubble provides unique ultraviolet imaging capabilities unmatched by James Webb, Roman, or Euclid, and losing it could create a decade-long gap in critical science.
- Mark Norris at the University of Lancashire credits Hubble’s archived images with launching his career, highlighting the telescope’s enduring scientific and personal impact despite its aging systems.
- NASA previously explored a proposal with SpaceX in 2022 but received no response from the company on whether it will submit a new proposal this time, leaving commercial participation uncertain.
Why it matters: Deciding whether to spend potentially hundreds of millions on a Hubble rescue mission forces NASA to weigh preserving irreplaceable science against funding future projects like LISA or the Habitable Worlds Observatory, with a decision needed soon to allow time for mission planning.
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