Private funding might save Hubble: NASA weighs Isaacman proposal

This year, the Hubble Telescope celebrates its 34th year in orbit. Only the Voyager probes can boast a longer period of operation in space. However, those probes are moving away from Earth, whereas Hubble is close to it and is getting closer each year. Its orbit is constantly lowering, which will likely result in it entering Earth's atmosphere around 2034 and being destroyed.

Does this mean Hubble will soon end its mission? There is a chance to prevent this. To do so, its orbit needs to be raised, which will require a visit from a service team. In the history of Hubble, five such missions have taken place, with the third being split into two shuttle flights. However, we currently do not have such vehicles, and a manned spacecraft is essential for repairing the telescope. Despite this, Hubble continues to operate, as evidenced by the extraordinary images it still captures. Unfortunately, many of its components are not functioning correctly; some are damaged, and others still cause problems—the last time this occurred was in late April 2024.

Gyroscopes are the most important for the proper functioning of the telescope. They ensure the correct orientation in space. Two are operational, but three fully functioning gyroscopes are necessary for optimal telescope operation. In theory, the telescope could operate even with one functioning gyroscope. Given its current state, each additional day of operation in orbit should be considered special. The last servicing mission took place in 2009, which was fifteen years ago. Hubble has spent almost half its time in orbit without any visits. Therefore, not only would the gyroscopes need to be replaced, but also the electronics updated and new instruments installed. Even restoring the basic functionality of the telescope would be a huge success.

Private entrepreneur Jared Isaacman wants to cover the costs of servicing Hubble. The idea of sending another servicing mission, this time not by shuttle but, for example, with the SpaceX Dragon capsule or, ideally, with the prototype Starship, is not new. However, NASA approaches this idea with caution, especially since the proposal came from Jared Isaacman, who organized the Inspiration4 flight with four private individuals in 2021 and plans to undertake the Polaris Dawn mission this summer. During this mission, the first private spacewalk will take place, demonstrating that servicing Hubble using the Polaris program's means is achievable. The Polaris Dawn mission will utilize the SpaceX Dragon capsule, similar to Inspiration4.

Isaacman assures that he will cover all the costs of the sixth servicing mission to Hubble. According to astronaut Andrew Feustel, who last repaired Hubble in 2009, the proposal to modernize the telescope is very sensible. The Polaris program is still in its initial phase, but Isaacman claims that NASA has nothing to lose. Nevertheless, the agency still has reservations.

There are two possible scenarios. Either the servicing mission will succeed and Hubble will regain its former functionality, or the mission will fail, and the telescope will suffer. NASA fears the latter option. Hubble should operate in a limited capacity than to cease functioning entirely. The prospect of saving money and restoring Hubble to its 2009 form is very tempting. Therefore, NASA plans to analyze Isaacman's proposal by the end of the year and then decide whether to accept the plan for the sixth servicing mission or reject it.

Why is it worthwhile to repair the telescope? Hubble still has much to offer in terms of sky observations. The latest example is the NGC4753 galaxy image illustrating this article. The galaxy's bright glow is the light of billions of stars, and the dark dust web adds to its mystery.

The NGC4753 galaxy is lenticular, meaning it is a type between a spiral galaxy like our Milky Way and an elliptical galaxy like M87 in the Virgo constellation. It likely formed from the collision of two galaxies 1.3 billion years ago. It is located 196 million light-years from us and was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. The Hubble image is the best photograph of NGC4753 in history.

Although the Webb Telescope has been discussed just as much over the past two years, for astronomers, they are entirely different tools. Hubble operates in a different range of electromagnetic radiation than Webb, and as a result, both telescopes complement each other. The Roman Telescope is planned to be sent up in 2027, which could be seen as Hubble's successor but will not be. Roman will be intended for massive sky surveys, meaning Hubble will still be useful for detailed observations of individual objects.

Even the construction of mega-telescopes on Earth, which should begin operating by the end of the third decade of the 21st century, will not change the situation. The best ground-based telescope cannot compete with an orbital telescope. Hubble remains a living testimony to the revolution in astronomy at the end of the 20th century. It deserves to function as long as possible. It would be good if someday it could be brought back to Earth and placed in a museum. It was once planned to use a shuttle for this purpose; hopefully, vehicles with similar capabilities will be available before Hubble's career in space ends.