Key facts
- NASA says the projected 2033-to-2034 re-entry leaves little time to study options, build a mission, and fly it before Hubble descends too far.
- NASA had sought to counter Hubble's altitude loss since before launch; Space Shuttle Columbia boosted the telescope during a 2002 servicing mission, buying it a few extra years but only delaying the inevitable.
- The Space Shuttle fleet is grounded and its orbiters are in museums, leaving NASA without its own spacecraft to reboost Hubble and pushing the agency to solicit private-sector rescue concepts.
NASA issued a Request for Information on Oct. 29, 2026, asking commercial industry how it might service or reboost the Hubble Space Telescope as the observatory’s orbit decays toward a projected re-entry between 2033 and 2034.
The RFI asks whether companies could boost the telescope to a higher altitude, add servicing capabilities, or carry out a safe controlled re-entry or orbital disposal. NASA posted the request online to give industry a limited window to submit ideas before the telescope’s projected re-entry between 2033 and 2034.
On November 5, 2026, NASA Science said it wants industry input on Hubble servicing options including an orbit boost, added capabilities, or end-of-mission planning. NASA repeated the call on Twitter the same day and linked to the RFI.
Hubble flies in low Earth orbit, where traces of atmosphere create drag that steadily reduces its altitude and resistance from residual gas pulls spacecraft downward over many years. Unlike spacecraft with engines, the observatory cannot reverse the decline without outside help, and NASA analysis predicts re-entry between 2033 and 2034 because it has no propulsion system. The agency expects a mission would need to occur by 2032 to prevent re-entry, meaning there is little time to study options, build a mission, and fly it before the telescope drops too far.
Hubble launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, and Columbia boosted it higher during a 2002 servicing mission. The final servicing visit by astronauts occurred in May 2009 aboard a space shuttle. The observatory has operated for more than three decades and remains one of the most influential scientific observatories ever launched, continuing to produce discoveries that shape how humanity understands the universe. According to The Register, no replacement for Hubble is expected before the 2040s.
The observatory is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland oversees the telescope and mission operations, while Lockheed Martin Space of Denver provides operations support. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore runs science operations for NASA, and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy operates the institute on the agency’s behalf.
With the Space Shuttle fleet grounded and its orbiters in museums, NASA no longer has its own spacecraft to reboost Hubble, pushing the agency to seek private-sector rescue concepts. Hubble has been losing altitude since launch in 1990. The agency had sought to counter the telescope’s altitude loss since before launch, and Columbia’s 2002 reboost added only a few years before the decline resumed.
NASA said any mission would take place in 2032 and that no harm must come to Hubble regardless of the approach. Interested companies must describe capabilities to safely capture and raise the telescope to 373 miles (600 km) or higher, tune up its performance, or guide it through a controlled re-entry to Earth. Applicants must plan the mission themselves, provide and launch their own spacecraft, and enlist a human crew if applicable.
In 2022, NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded agreement to study boosting the telescope, although the agency said it did not plan to pay for a dedicated mission. NASA has been trying to mitigate Hubble’s orbital decay since before the observatory launched, but with the shuttle fleet gone it turned to the commercial sector for ideas.
Mashable India reported that The Register said Isaacman had supported a SpaceX reboost before he led NASA, but the proposal was turned down, and no replacement for Hubble is expected before the 2040s.
The agency is assessing whether commercial capabilities unavailable at the time of Hubble’s design could extend its science life. NASA said the options to boost, service, or dispose of Hubble have not been formally approved, and reaching out to companies will reveal which technologies are available and whether they are practical and affordable. A successful mission to raise the orbit or upgrade the systems might allow Hubble to operate past its projected orbital lifetime.
According to Fox, NASA aims to raise Hubble’s orbit while also developing the next flagship mission, as commercial spaceflight technology moves forward.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Hubble still has important science ahead of it and the agency should pursue every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering science for as long as possible. “Hubble still has important science ahead of it,” Isaacman said. He made the statement on Oct. 29, 2026.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, called Hubble a national icon that has fundamentally changed how humanity views our universe for more than 35 years. “Hubble is a national icon that has fundamentally changed how humanity views our universe for more than 35 years,” Fox said.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said, “Commercial industry has rapidly evolved in recent years to offer new capabilities for in-space satellite capture and servicing.”
Join the discussion