NASA and SpaceX can save the Hubble Space Telescope with the Crew Dragon

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has signed a contract with the American company SpaceX. Under the agreement, the agency will study the possibility of saving the Hubble telescope.

Here's What We Know

NASA will spend about six months evaluating the feasibility of using Crew Dragon spacecraft to maintain the space telescope. Lifting Hubble to a higher orbit would provide an opportunity to extend the life of the observatory by several years.

After decommissioning, NASA plans to dispose of the telescope. At the same time, the agency adds that the study to assess the feasibility of using spacecraft to Hubble to a higher orbit is not exclusive. Therefore, other companies can join it and offer their own projects.

Flashback

Hubble went into space in 1990. Until 2011, it was serviced by Space Shuttle. After those spacecraft were discontinued, Hubble's orbit dropped from 610 kilometers to 540 kilometers. If NASA does not find a way to lift the telescope, it will be out of orbit by the end of the next decade.

Source: NASA