NASA and SpaceX are looking into whether the orbit of the Hubble telescope can be increased – IT Pro – News

NASA and SpaceX will investigate whether the Hubble Space Telescope contains an additional element Strengthen Can be obtained. With this enhancement, both parties hope to be able to bring the telescope into a greater orbit around the Earth, so that the telescope can be used for a longer time.

The Parties want to investigate Whether SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft can be brought to the Hubble telescope to propel it into a higher orbit. In addition to NASA and SpaceX, the Polaris program is also involved. This party was founded by billionaire Jared Eschman, Buyer of the first civilian space flight only. This space flight was carried out by SpaceX.

SpaceX and Polaris submitted the research to NASA. The parties expect the investigation to take about six months. During this time, they will collect technical data from the Dragon and Hubble capsule. With this they want to be able to determine if Hubble can be used safely Sidewalk and then be able to move it to a more stable orbit.

NASA confirms that it currently has no plans for such a mission. Through the research, NASA only wants to determine the commercial potential. The space agency says other companies may suggest such a study. Hubble was launched in 1990 and now orbits about 540 kilometers around the Earth. However, this orbit is getting smaller and smaller, allowing the telescope at some point to reach the atmosphere and burn up. The Dragon boost could return the rocket to a more stable, higher orbit and add “several years of life”. Hubble has been visited many times in the past for repairs, for example.