The Hubble Space Telescope is steadily losing altitude, driven primarily by atmospheric drag. Because the observatory lacks an onboard propulsion system to independently adjust its orbit, NASA's analysis indicates that if the descent remains unchecked, the telescope will likely re-enter Earth's atmosphere between 2033 and 2034, ultimately crashing back down to the planet.
Seeking Commercial Solutions
Hoping to delay this eventual fate, NASA has issued a formal Request for Information to gather proposals from private aerospace companies for in-space servicing. This initiative would primarily focus on raising Hubble's orbital altitude to extend its operational lifespan. However, the agency remains open to industry suggestions regarding safe and controlled reentry protocols, as well as in-orbit disposal methods. Private space firms are also invited to pitch hardware upgrades that could enhance the telescope's scientific capabilities during its remaining operational years.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, emphasized the cultural and scientific significance of the observatory in an official statement. She noted that given the timeframe until Hubble's anticipated atmospheric reentry, the agency is eager to explore every possible avenue to elevate the telescope into a higher orbit while concurrently developing its successor flagship mission.
A History of Orbital Maintenance
The space telescope was originally engineered with the expectation that astronauts would conduct scheduled repairs and system upgrades directly in orbit. Since its initial launch in 1990, five separate servicing missions have been successfully completed. The final planned visit of that era was cancelled following the tragic space shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. Nevertheless, NASA later concluded that the immense scientific benefits of servicing Hubble outweighed the inherent risks of a final astronaut mission, prompting a 2009 crewed flight that replaced vital batteries and successfully extended the telescope's active lifespan.
Previous Private Sector Collaborations
This is not the first time NASA has evaluated commercial capabilities to raise Hubble's altitude. In September 2022, the agency established a non-funding Space Act Agreement with SpaceX to investigate whether the company's Dragon spacecraft could safely nudge Hubble into a more stable orbit. At the time of the announcement, NASA clarified that it had no intention of funding or executing the mission itself, as the feasibility study was designed purely to evaluate commercial readiness.
Meanwhile, NASA contracted private firm Katalyst Space Technologies in September 2025 to perform an orbital boost for the Swift Observatory, which had been suffering from accelerated orbital decay. Unfortunately, the company's servicing spacecraft, launched in July 2026, encountered a severe attitude control malfunction, forcing mission operators to abandon the effort. On November 4, the Swift observatory re-entered Earth's atmosphere over Indonesia.
In addition to its orbital decay, the Hubble Space Telescope has faced mechanical challenges regarding its internal hardware. In June 2024, NASA announced a transition plan to operate the telescope using only a single functioning gyro out of the original six onboard to track its spatial orientation. After more than three decades in the harsh space environment, only three gyros remained active, with one beginning to transmit anomalous data. The final remaining operational gyro has since been placed in a standby state for future use.
Timeline and Future Outlook
NASA estimates that any prospective mission to raise the telescope's orbit must be executed by the year 2032. In previous statements released in 2022, the agency highlighted that elevating Hubble to a higher and more stable orbital path would enable it to continue observing distant cosmic phenomena for several additional years.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman stressed the ongoing value of the observatory, stating that Hubble still has critical science to conduct and that officials must explore every reasonable opportunity to keep the instrument functioning. He added that discovering cost-effective ways to extend the lifespan of existing orbital assets fulfills an obligation to the American taxpayer and the scientific community, ultimately yielding more discoveries and a deeper understanding of the universe.
