At the end of this month, Link is scheduled to launch, the spacecraft developed by the Katalyst Space company to rescue the Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope, whose orbit has been declining in recent years due to atmospheric resistance. Although the development of this mission has been expensive, NASA considers that it has been a minimal investment compared to all the return that can be generated by keeping the telescope in operation for a few more years. Therefore, given that Hubble is also deorbiting, the question arises whether it would be interesting to do the same.
It is clear that this telescope can still contribute a lot of science. However, it is an old instrument, so its maintenance and operation are quite expensive. That is why NASA is doing calculations to discern whether it would be interesting to develop a ship similar to Link for its rescue or if, ultimately, it is more profitable to let it deorbit.
Almost 100 million dollars in one year. During 2025, NASA will invest $98.8 million in the Hubble Space Telescope. Only the much newer James Webb required more investment. We must not forget that Hubble was launched in 1990. It is very old, so today it is more expensive to maintain and even operate with it.
But it’s in good shape. Despite needing so much investment, Hubble is in great shape. Many saw the launch of James Webb as an opportunity for Hubble to retire. The networks were filled with photographs in which images of the same point taken by one telescope or another were compared, always with much more clarity in the James Webb. However, they are not exclusive telescopes, but complementary. Hubble focuses on detecting emissions in visible and ultraviolet light, while James Webb specializes in near and mid-infrared.
It’s true that the James Webb can see through dust and gas, reach further, and take images with higher resolution. However, there are objects that can only be observed at the wavelengths at which Hubble works. Today he continues to make great discoveries and if he were to deorbit and retire he would leave a very big void in space research.
The ideal would be to last 15 more years. The Habitable Worlds Observatory, a large telescope, much more advanced than Hubble, which will also work in visible and ultraviolet light, is scheduled to be launched in the 2040s. This could, in a way, retire Hubble. Until then, it remains a necessary telescope.
You have to do calculations. With the Swift, the profitability of launching a ship to their rescue was very clear. For Hubble, more calculations will have to be made, since a ship larger than Link would also be needed. Still, given how useful this telescope has been and continues to be, it would not be strange if it is still profitable to recover it. If this is not done, it could re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere in 2029, with a median set in 2033. There would be no time to have its replacement ready. It is a very important detail to take into account.
Imagen| NASA Hubble Space Telescope
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