麻豆影视

Skip to main content

NASA, SpaceX to study boosting Hubble to higher orbit in a bid to extend its life

Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, is seen here in February 2021, in Hawthorne, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images/CNN) Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, is seen here in February 2021, in Hawthorne, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images/CNN)
Share

Officials at NASA have signed a Space Act Agreement with SpaceX to investigate the benefits and risks of having a private mission provide service to NASA's nearly 33-year-old Hubble Space Telescope, boosting it to a higher orbit to extend its life, the space agency announced Thursday.

"Hubble is amazingly successful. ... It's doing great science as we speak," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, during a news conference.

But SpaceX approached the space agency a few months ago with the idea, he said, and the team at NASA is now planning to assess how a private mission might help "boost" and maintain the telescope.

Zurbuchen added that it is not yet certain whether or not such a mission could be carried out, and the goal of the agreement is just to explore the technical feasibility of the idea.

Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX, said the private aerospace company "has a lot of experience docking (spacecraft) with the International Space Station."

SpaceX wants to use that knowledge as a foundation and find out whether it's possible to carry out a similar docking maneuver with the Hubble telescope, Jensen said.

It could be done at "no cost to the government," according to a . The Space Act Agreement itself will not involve any exchange of funds, according to the release.

Launched in 1990, the space observatory has had several servicing missions during NASA's space shuttle era, with the . But the space agency , and no spacecraft has been back since.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft missions have already taken over much of the work that the space shuttle program used to carry out, including ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS.

The effort to send a private mission to Hubble could be a part of a previously announced, privately funded SpaceX program called Polaris. That program is the brainchild of Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of payments platform Shift4, who first gained international attention when Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule last year.

He the Polaris program in February, and at the time he said the program would encompass at least three missions with SpaceX.

The first flight in the program, called Polaris Dawn, is expected to last up to five days. It will include a crew of Isaacman and three other people, who will ride aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the Van Allen radiation belt, which has an inner band that stretches from about 400 to 6,000 miles (644 to 9,656 kilometres) above Earth. It's scheduled to take off no earlier than .

The second Polaris mission could be a great candidate for sending a SpaceX capsule to Hubble, Isaacman said at Thursday's news conference.

It's not yet clear whether an autonomous, uncrewed spacecraft could carry out a Hubble service mission instead of requiring a crew on board, according to Jensen.

Zurbuchen added that is all part of what SpaceX and NASA will explore as part of this Space Act Agreement.

"We're looking at crazy ideas all the time," he said. "That's what we're supposed to do."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Two nephews of the beloved Harry R. Hamilton share stories about his life and legacy.

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.