NASA and SpaceX to save Hubble Space Telescope with Crew Dragon spacecraft

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded the contract to

American company SpaceX. As part of the agreement, the department will study the possibility of salvaging the Hubble telescope.

What is known

NASA will spend about six months to evaluatethe possibilities of using the Crew Dragon spacecraft to service the space telescope. Raising Hubble to a higher orbit will provide an opportunity to extend the life of the observatory by several years.

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

For those who are not in the know

Hubble went into space in 1990.Until 2011, the Space Shuttle was in charge of its maintenance. After the termination of the use of these ships, Hubble's orbit decreased from 610 km to 540 km. If NASA does not find a way to raise the telescope, then by the end of the next decade it will deorbit.