On May 31, the Hubble Space Telescope automatically entered safe mode due to one of its three gyroscopes giving faulty telemetry readings. These instruments allow the telescope to point consistently in the right direction, and they are key to the functioning of the space observatory.
NASA has now announced a press conference to update on Hubble’s operations at 4 pm EDT, Tuesday, June 4. The space agency confirms its plan to have Hubble continue its operations throughout this decade and the next – an incredible achievement if it happens, since the telescope has recently celebrated its 34th birthday.
Hubble uses three of its six gyroscopes to point itself towards its target. When it was last refurbished in 2009, astronauts installed six brand-new gyros, with the extra three for redundancy. The first gyro failed in March 2014, then the other two failed in 2018. Hubble requires at least three gyroscopes to operate its full science program. If it drops below three, “Hubble will automatically place itself into a protective safe mode,” a NASA document notes, and that is what happened last week.
The gyroscope that malfunctioned might not be lost for good. If it is, it is possible for Hubble to continue to operate, but not at the same standards. In the planned two-gyroscope and one-gyroscope modes, its science capabilities will be reduced.
Hubble was refurbished using the Space Shuttle. No shuttle means no refurbishment. There has been a proposal for a private mission to the space telescopes led by Jared Isaacman, whose Polaris mission this year would have the first ever private space walk. Internal emails from NASA report concerns about the proposed mission as there are a lot of uncertainties and risks, both for the private astronauts involved and the space telescope.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is not equipped with a robotic arm and it has no airlock, so all four astronauts are involved in spacewalks. The capsule will depressurize before they go out and then repressurize when they are back in. Space walking has risks: About one-fifth of them experience serious incidents and close calls, including ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano almost drowning in space.
You can see the press conference on NASA TV.
