{"id":11256,"date":"2022-09-29T21:41:34","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T13:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-nasa-studying-commercial-crew-mission-to-hubble-space-telescope\/"},"modified":"2022-09-29T21:41:34","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T13:41:34","slug":"spacex-nasa-studying-commercial-crew-mission-to-hubble-space-telescope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-nasa-studying-commercial-crew-mission-to-hubble-space-telescope\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX, NASA studying commercial crew mission to Hubble Space Telescope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The Hubble Space Telescope in the payload bay of space shuttle Atlantis during the last servicing mission in May 2009. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA and SpaceX will study the potential use of a commercial Dragon crew spacecraft to reboost and service the Hubble Space Telescope, a 32-year-old observatory last upgraded by a space shuttle in 2009, officials announced Thursday.<\/p>\n

The study will explore the the technical feasibility of using a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to dock with Hubble, currently orbiting more than 330 miles (530 kilometers) above Earth. Once docked, the Dragon capsule\u2019s propulsion system could raise Hubble\u2019s altitude to delay the telescope\u2019s eventual re-entry back into the atmosphere. Engineers will also examine ways to use the Dragon spacecraft with astronauts to service Hubble.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few months ago, SpaceX approached NASA with the idea for a study whether a commercial crew could help reboost our Hubble spacecraft into a higher orbit, one that would extend its additional lifetime,\u201d said Thomas Zurbuchen, head of NASA\u2019s science mission directorate. \u201cToday, we\u2019re announcing that we have signed a Space Act Agreement with SpaceX to produce a feasibility study of exactly that, as well as some other tools that may be coming to bear, really what the benefits and risks would be to having a private team help support one of NASA\u2019s science missions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hubble launched on NASA\u2019s space shuttle Discovery in April 1990, and was designed for servicing in orbit. Five more space shuttle missions upgraded, repaired, and reboosted Hubble, fixing the telescope\u2019s blurred vision and adding new science instruments. The last servicing mission was in 2009, and NASA retired the space shuttle fleet in 2011 after completing assembly of the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no guarantee the six-month feasibility study will lead to a mission to Hubble.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main goal of this study is going to be technical,\u201d said Jessica Jensen, SpaceX\u2019s vice president of customer operations and integration. \u201cIs it even technically feasible to do this with a Dragon spacecraft?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPredominately, on the SpaceX side, we\u2019re going to be looking at Dragon capabilities and how they would need to be modified to safely rendezvous and dock with Hubble. So details of exactly physically how that\u2019s done, and how we also safely do that from a trajectory point of view, that\u2019s all to be worked out,\u201d Jensen said.<\/p>\n

The Polaris Program, a private human spaceflight initiative led by billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman, is also part of the Hubble mission study with SpaceX and NASA.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolaris is excited to assist in this study, and hopefully it does lead us down a path that ensures Hubble\u2019s ability to continue to serve science for decades into the future,\u201d Isaacman said Thursday.<\/p>\n

Isaacman, an experienced fighter jet pilot, flew in space for three days last September on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. He commanded the Inspiration4 mission with three crewmates, the first all-private crew mission to low Earth orbit without any government involvement.<\/p>\n

The Polaris Program, announced earlier this year, will include three more commercial astronaut missions flying on SpaceX rockets. The first mission, designated Polaris Dawn, is scheduled for launch no earlier than next March, with a four-person crew that will attempt the first commercial spacewalk in orbit using a modified Dragon spacecraft.<\/p>\n

Isaacman\u2019s Inspiration4 mission last year reached an altitude of 366 miles (590 kilometers), the highest anyone has flown since the space shuttle missions to Hubble. The International Space Station flies lower, around 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

The Polaris Dawn mission with go even higher than Inspiration4, targeting a peak altitude of about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers). That will exceed the altitude reached by NASA\u2019s Gemini 11 mission in 1966, which set the altitude record for an astronaut flight in Earth orbit at 853 miles (1,372 kilometers), according to NASA.<\/p>\n

Isaacman and SpaceX have not disclosed details about the second Polaris mission, other than it would fly on another Dragon spacecraft. The third Polaris mission will be a crew flight on SpaceX\u2019s huge next-generation Starship rocket.<\/p>\n

Assuming the NASA-SpaceX feasibility study shows that a Dragon servicing mission to Hubble is possible, Isaacman said it would be a \u201clogical second mission\u201d for the Polaris Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were giving consideration to what we could accomplish on the first Polaris mission, and what that could lead us to for a second mission, the idea of potentially a Hubble servicing mission was one of the ideas up for consideration,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jared Isaacman commanded the three-day Inspiration4 mission on SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft in September 2021, flying to an altitude of 367 miles (590 kilometers), higher than any humans since space shuttle servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: Inspiration4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX and NASA are self-funding their own work on the joint feasibility study, which will also assess the cost of a SpaceX servicing mission to Hubble, and determine when it might be ready for launch.<\/p>\n

John Grunsfeld, a former NASA astronaut who flew on three space shuttle servicing flights to Hubble, tweeted: \u201cIt\u2019s about time we get serious about keeping Hubble doing. Big smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

The space shuttle had an airlock to support multiple spacewalks on each mission, and a large payload bay the size of a school bus, allowing it to haul tons of cargo to service Hubble. Dragon is not designed with an airlock, and the entire crew cabin will be depressurized during the spacewalk on Isaacman\u2019s Polaris Dawn mission next year. The commercial astronauts on Polaris Dawn will wear new spacesuits designed by SpaceX to keep the crew members alive during the spacewalk.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s Dragon capsule has a trunk section that could allow it to haul limited cargo to Hubble, but it doesn\u2019t have a robotic arm like the shuttle, which reached out to grapple Hubble and bring it to the shuttle\u2019s payload bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we start this study, I think we\u2019re starting at a point that is not at the level of sophistication in our experience base that we were at the end of the shuttle era,\u201d Zurbuchen said. \u201cEach one of the lessons, even if it was possible in the past will have to be regained with new technology and new partnerships. In other words, don\u2019t expect what we did the last time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, each SpaceX Dragon mission is less expensive than a shuttle flight. NASA said the study with SpaceX is \u201cnon-exclusive,\u201d and other companies may propose similar similar studies with different rockets or spacecraft as their model.<\/p>\n

Northrop Grumman said earlier this year it is working on a similar unsolicited proposal to NASA to send a robotic servicing spacecraft the Chandra X-ray Observatory, another aging NASA science mission that orbits in a much higher orbit than Earth currently inaccessible by a crew mission.<\/p>\n

Jensen, a SpaceX manager, said one of possible outcomes of the Hubble servicing mission study is that a robotic spacecraft might be a better fit for the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere could be something that comes out of this study that says, \u2018Hey, it does not make sense to have a human mission going to do this,’\u201d Jensen said. \u201cSo we\u2019re going to look at all the different options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to benefit Hubble. If benefiting Hubble is not just boosting it, but also providing some servicing, and that can be done with a human spaceflight missions, all the better,\u201d Jensen said. \u201cSo it\u2019s all on the table right now, and as we get to the study, we will have to figure out some of these things and see what\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hubble Space Telescope has outlived its original design life, largely thanks to the space shuttle servicing missions, but still produces top-notch science. The James Webb Space Telescope launched last year has a primary mirror with a collecting area more than six times that of Hubble, making it the largest telescope ever sent into space.<\/p>\n

Webb is designed to detect faint infrared light, giving it the ability to see galaxies farther away and further back in time than Hubble can see, allowing astronomers to study the aftermath of the Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago. But Hubble still has scientific utility, with instruments sensitive to visible and ultraviolet light, different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum than Webb is tuned to study.<\/p>\n

\u201cHubble is more exciting than ever because now it is a complementary asset next to the James Webb Space Telescope with a different frequency range and a different viewpoint,\u201d Zurbuchen said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
File photo of the Hubble Space Telescope following its release from the shuttle Atlantis in May 2009. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Patrick Crouse, Hubble\u2019s project manager at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, said the observatory is likely to remain operational through the late 2020s or early 2030s. Regardless of how well Hubble\u2019s instruments and spacecraft components hold up, the observatory is gradually losing altitude due to aerodynamic drag. That has a 50% chance of causing Hubble to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up by 2037, Crouse said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to be looking at new innovative ways to keep our mission at the forefront of the scientific discovery,\u201d Crouse said. \u201cWe will ensure that the feasibility study addresses Hubble safety throughout any sort of servicing or boosting scenarios that the study will consider.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hubble\u2019s altitude has dropped about 18 miles (30 kilometers) since the last shuttle servicing mission in 2009. Boosting Hubble\u2019s orbit to more than 370 miles, or close to 600 kilometers, would effectively keep the telescope in orbit an additional 15 to 20 years, Crouse said.<\/p>\n

But Hubble\u2019s orbital altitude is just one factor in how long the mission will remain operational.<\/p>\n

One of the items engineers watch most closely on Hubble is the health of the spacecraft\u2019s gyroscopes, which measure the direction and rate of the spacecraft\u2019s movement when it turns to point toward distant galaxies, stars, and planets to collect scientific data and imagery. Astronauts on the last shuttle servicing mission replaced all six gyros on Hubble, and three remain operational.<\/p>\n

The three gyros still working are an enhanced design, and Crouse said engineers expect them to keep working for \u201cquite a while.\u201d Hubble was originally designed to require at least three gyros for regular operations. Engineers have devised ways to continue some of the telescope\u2019s scientific work with just one gyro, but that would come with limitations in where Hubble could point to make astronomical observations.<\/p>\n

The primary motor to open and shut the aperture door to Hubble\u2019s primary mirror also failed last year. But the telescope has a backup motor for the door, which is working, and the door is expected to remain open at all times unless Hubble goes into safe mode.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do see wear and tear, so it\u2019s really just ongoing aging of the spacecraft components, electrical parts,\u201d Crouse said. \u201cWe have reliability models that we look at \u2026 and of course we work very hard every day to try to mitigate aging scenarios with the spacecraft.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we won\u2019t last forever, but we\u2019re trying to last as long as we can,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have reasonable expectations to be able to operate productively through the end of this decade and into the next decade, we believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Astronauts on the last shuttle flight to Hubble installed a capture ring to the aft bulkhead of the observatory to aid in the docking of a new-generation spacecraft to safely de-orbit and dispose of the telescope at the end of its mission. NASA wants to ensure debris from Hubble, which measures 43.5 feet (13.3 meters) long, doesn\u2019t fall over populated areas during re-entry.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-diameter (1.8-meter) soft capture ring could also assist in the docking of SpaceX\u2019s Dragon spacecraft, giving the approaching capsule a place to latch to the telescope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soft capture mechanism certainly makes a mission like this much more feasible and easier to talk about,\u201d Crouse said. \u201cAnd that will certainly be part of the feasibility study is to see how that adapter is useful and what kind of accommodations may have to be made, since even that design now is a little bit out of date of what the agency is using for docking mechanisms.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it certainly does provide an opportunity for a direct docking without the need for a grapple arm,\u201d Crouse said.<\/p>\n

If Hubble\u2019s orbit is not boosted, NASA will need to start thinking about a robotic disposal mission in the late 2020s that could be ready for launch by about 2030, Crouse said. That mission could attach a propulsion system to Hubble, which does not have its own thrusters for orbit control.<\/p>\n

\"\"
SpaceX\u2019s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Nov. 8, 2021. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Upgraded from earlier cargo freighter ships, SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft was designed for NASA\u2019s commercial crew program, set up to develop new U.S. vehicles to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station after the retirement of the space shuttles. From the time of the shuttle\u2019s retirement in 2011 until the first SpaceX crew launch in 2020, Russia\u2019s Soyuz spacecraft was the sole provider of crew transport services to the space station.<\/p>\n

SpaceX now has a fleet of four reusable crew-rated Dragon capsules designed to launch on top of Falcon 9 rockets and splash down under parachutes off the Florida coast.<\/p>\n

The Dragon fleet has launched seven times so far with astronaut crews on-board, including a demonstration mission, four operational flights for NASA, and two commercial missions, including Isaacman\u2019s Inspiration4 expedition and a private astronaut flight to the space station for Axiom Space.<\/p>\n

NASA helped pay for the Crew Dragon spacecraft development, with more than $3.1 billion in government funding going toward design, testing, and the initial SpaceX crew flights to the space station. The space agency last month awarded SpaceX another $1.4 billion contract to five additional crew rotation missions to the space station, giving SpaceX a total of 14 operational Crew Dragon flights, four of which have already launched.<\/p>\n

Boeing is NASA\u2019s other commercial crew contractor. Boeing\u2019s Starliner capsule has faced a series of technical issues, delaying its first launch with astronauts until no earlier than next February. The Starliner spacecraft successfully completed an unpiloted test flight to the space station in May.<\/p>\n

Isaacman, 39, said the feasibility study announced Thursday will also look how commercial spacecraft like SpaceX\u2019s Dragon could service other spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Satellite servicing has been a growing business in recent years, with Northrop Grumman completing two automated dockings in geostationary orbit with a robotic servicer to extend the lives of two commercial communications satellites. Other companies have also performed experiments and tested commercial servicing concepts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last few years, what we\u2019ve witnessed is just an impressive pace of progress across the aerospace industry,\u201d Isaacman said. \u201cPioneering technology, like rapidly reusable rockets, has really begun to reduce the cost to orbit to such an extent that commercial space missions are now really possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take advantage of everything that\u2019s been developed within the commercial space industry to potentially execute on a mission, should the study warrant it, with little or no potential cost to the government, which I think would be of great benefit to just all of humanity if you can extend the life and capabilities of an asset like Hubble, or potentially other assets,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n

If a commercial Hubble servicing mission goes forward, NASA and SpaceX would then have to determine who flies on the mission \u2014 whether it\u2019s part of Isaacman\u2019s Polaris Program mission, a NASA-led flight, or a mix.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we cross the bridge on who\u2019s ultimately going to fly it if the study ultimately supports embarking on a mission,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n

Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Hubble Space Telescope in the payload bay of space shuttle Atlantis during the last servicing mission in May 2009. Credit: NASA NASA and SpaceX will study the potential use of a commercial Dragon crew spacecraft to reboost and service the Hubble Space Telescope, a 32-year-old observatory last upgraded by a space shuttle in 2009, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11256\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}