All articles tagged with #orbital servicing
NASA issued a Request for Information on October 29, seeking commercial proposals to reboost, service, or safely dispose of the Hubble Space Telescope by 2032. Hubble, launched in 1990, is losing altitude and predicted to reenter the atmosphere in 2033-2034. The agency requires a target altitude of 600 km and notes no funding is currently allocated. Responses are due November 30.
NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to commercial firms for proposals to reboost, service, or control the reentry of the Hubble Space Telescope. Responses are due November 30, 2026. The agency aims to extend Hubble's life or ensure a safe disposal before its predicted uncontrolled reentry in 2033-2034. No funding is currently allocated, but NASA seeks to assess capabilities and costs for a mission by 2032.
Katalyst Space Technologies has successfully slowed the spin of its LINK spacecraft, reducing its rotation from 9 to 1.47 degrees per second using electric thrusters. The company plans to upload a software update to restore attitude control and reach NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory by late August. This mission aims to boost the 22-year-old observatory’s orbit before it decays, a high-risk operation that could extend the telescope’s life and prove commercial on-orbit servicing capabilities.
The private LINK spacecraft, launched to rescue NASA’s aging Swift gamma-ray observatory from reentry, has encountered critical attitude-control failures. Two of its three reaction wheels malfunctioned, causing the satellite to spin and lose stable orientation. Engineers are now racing to stabilize the craft before it can rendezvous with Swift, a mission that could extend the telescope’s life by years but now faces significant technical hurdles.