Overview
- NASA issued a Request for Information over the weekend that is open through November 30 and is explicitly exploratory with no funds or contract commitments.
- The RFI asks industry for concepts that could raise Hubble by roughly 600 kilometers or perform a controlled disposal, a task NASA says would be technically very challenging.
- A successful boost would require a precise rendezvous, capture method and careful protection of Hubble’s sensitive optics and electronics, and it would not restore aging internal hardware.
- The commercial satellite‑servicing sector has demonstrated key technologies for inspection, capture and propulsion that companies such as SpaceX and Rocket Lab might offer, with proposals allowed to be robotic or crewed.
- NASA will evaluate safety, schedule and cost before any mission decision, and preserving Hubble would sustain unique visible and ultraviolet observations that complement infrared telescopes and long baseline science datasets.