NASA wants ideas to boost Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with private spaceships

[Admin]

NASA is looking deeper into the possibility of using a private spacecraft to lift the Hubble Space Telescope to new heights after a study by SpaceX.

NASA wants ideas to boost Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with private spaceships : Read more

 

[steve_foston]

What an excellent idea, Hubble could have a useful life well into the future - I'm sure an upgrade to the optics is also on the cards. It gives scope too to think about the long term retirement of the instrument, previously I have suggested deorbiting it to the surface of the moon as a future tourist site. Deorbiting to the the ocean would be a complete waste of this noble instrument.

 

[Dr.Mt]

NASA is looking deeper into the possibility of using a private spacecraft to lift the Hubble Space Telescope to new heights after a study by SpaceX.

NASA wants ideas to boost Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with private spaceships : Read more

European Space Agency ATV... It is a transfer vehicle.
Use an ATV Bus with arms to grasp, latch to HST, navigation, and fuel... to move to another obit. If have sufficient fuel, it could either stay attached along the side or be parked 100 metres away in the same orbit so would have it's own personal relocation tug boat. IF we wanted to service HST, the ESA ATV TugBoat could lower the orbit and after the service call, work, upgrades, be move back to a new higher orbit.
The ISS or TianGong would be extremely Ideal location to have HST ferried to be serviced/upgraded.
We could use the same have own individual Space Telescope ESA ATV to launch the other Hubble Buses the US Military gifted to NASA.
The ISS (future version of modules) could be like the TianGong... an actual Orbital Space Platform. It would be a new function/feature of orbital platforms. The Chinese built their's with this facility. Use the platforms.
There is no need to loft astronauts to the orbital plane of HST when the HST can be brought to the service station.

 

[BobDolesGhost]

I'm sure an upgrade to the optics is also on the cards.

iirc hubble has had a couple of reaction wheels cease working. There are probably several components that would be a high priority to refurbish/replace. I'm not sure a spacewalk out of a dragon capsule is in the cards though