NASA seeks commercial solutions to save Hubble Space Telescope

NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to the commercial space industry to explore ways to extend the operational life of the Hubble Space Telescope. The agency is seeking innovative and cost-effective methods to address the telescope’s gradual orbital decay, which is caused by atmospheric drag.

NASA is evaluating three primary mission objectives: boosting the telescope to a higher altitude of at least 600 kilometers, providing on-orbit servicing or technical upgrades to enhance performance, or executing a controlled re-entry and disposal at the end of its mission. Because the telescope lacks its own propulsion system, any intervention to raise its orbit must be completed by 2032 to prevent an uncontrolled atmospheric reentry, which is estimated to become increasingly likely between 2033 and 2034.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the agency is duty-bound to the scientific community and taxpayers to explore every reasonable opportunity to keep the asset functioning. Science Mission Directorate associate administrator Nicky Fox noted that the rapid evolution of the commercial space sector has created new possibilities for satellite capture and in-orbit servicing. Responses to the RFI are due by November 30, 2026.