NASA Seeks Industry Concepts to Service Hubble or Safely Deorbit It

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has issued a Request for Information (RFI) asking industry to develop concepts for extending the Hubble Space Telescope’s operations or safely disposing of the observatory. Launched in April 1990, Hubble currently operates at approximately 300 miles (483 kilometers) above Earth. Its orbit is reportedly decaying by about 9 miles (14.6 kilometers) per year, making the agency’s planning relevant both to mission continuity and to eventual end-of-life management. The RFI is an early market-research step: NASA is gathering potential approaches and capabilities, not announcing a contract award or selecting a provider.

The RFI identifies three mission options for industry consideration: capture Hubble and raise its orbit to at least 372 miles (600 kilometers), conduct a servicing mission to improve performance and extend operational life, or launch and operate a mission for controlled reentry. NASA’s stated objective for any servicing or orbit-boost concept is to avoid harming the telescope. Goddard would provide technical information about Hubble and coordinate relevant observatory operations, including rendezvous, capture, boosting, servicing, and/or controlled reentry. The prospective contractor would provide the launch vehicle and spacecraft, crew if applicable, and mission operations for the servicing vehicle.

The procurement has several mission-planning constraints that interested firms should address in any RFI response. NASA says launch must occur by 2032 and asks respondents to explain their launch approach, rendezvous and capture methods, technology readiness, risk assessment and mitigation plans, and how soon the proposed mission could launch. For orbit-raising concepts, the agency also seeks details on the achievable altitude increase and the minimum altitude at which servicing could be performed while still enabling a boost to at least 372 miles. The reported information does not specify an RFI response deadline, contract value, or award schedule, so firms should avoid treating the RFI as a funded solicitation or assuming a particular acquisition timetable.

The operational case for keeping Hubble available is tied to its continuing scientific demand and capabilities. Goddard reportedly says the telescope receives more than seven times as many observing requests as it can accommodate and produces more than 1,000 research papers annually. Hubble’s ultraviolet and optical capabilities remain distinct, while a potential replacement, the Habitable Worlds Observatory, is not expected to be operational until 2040. The RFI therefore gives industry an opportunity to show how mission architecture, spacecraft design, launch planning, servicing technologies, and safety measures could support NASA’s science objectives. NASA expects to review RFI responses and develop an RFP afterward, but the process and timing for that follow-on procurement remain unspecified. SpaceX was associated with an earlier Hubble orbit-boost concept; that historical reference does not identify SpaceX as an awardee or selected provider for this effort.

• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center issued an RFI for Hubble servicing, orbit-boost, and safe-disposal concepts.
• The three concepts are raising Hubble’s orbit to at least 372 miles (600 kilometers), servicing the telescope, or conducting a controlled reentry.
• Hubble currently orbits at about 300 miles (483 kilometers) and is reportedly losing altitude at approximately 9 miles (14.6 kilometers) per year.
• NASA states that the mission must launch by 2032; prospective respondents should address launch readiness and schedule feasibility.
• The prospective contractor would supply the launch vehicle and spacecraft, crew if applicable, and servicing-vehicle mission operations.
• NASA asks for proposed rendezvous and capture methods, technology-readiness information, risk analysis and mitigation, and launch timing.
• Orbit-boost proposals should state the altitude increase achievable and minimum servicing altitude needed to reach the target orbit.
• Goddard reportedly cites more than seven times as many observing requests as Hubble can accommodate and over 1,000 research papers per year.
• The Habitable Worlds Observatory is identified as a potential replacement, with operational availability not expected until 2040.
• NASA expects to consider RFI responses before developing an RFP; no deadline, contract value, award date, or selected provider is reported. SpaceX’s earlier concept is not evidence of selection for this effort.