NASA and SpaceX are studying sending a private crew to boost Hubble’s orbit

A new agreement has been signed between NASA and SpaceX to study the feasibility of sending a commercial crew into space. The telescope could be extended by as much as 20 years if the mission is completed.

Today's news is not a mission announcement. It is just a feasibility study to see if the mission is sensible. One might assume that an uncrewed space tug is best suited for an orbital boosting mission, and there are plenty of space startups working on that type of technology. The mission was the idea of the company and they want humans to be involved.

With NASA acknowledging that the mission would come at no cost to the government, it makes sense. Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's science mission director, said during a media briefing that NASA and SpaceX are funding their participation in the study.

One of the main goals of the six-month feasibility study is to explore how a crewed Dragon capsule, possible under the auspices of a Polaris Program mission, could safely rendezvous and dock with Hubble. Jessica Jensen, VP of customer operations and integration, acknowledged that Hubble is a different challenge than docking with the International Space Station.

She saidHubble was different. It will all be unique to the telescope.

Jensen said that the feasibility study might determine that an uncrewed mission is better for the country. She said that everything is on the table.

The Polaris Program is headed by a billionaire who flew to space on the Inspiration4 mission. It was thought that the mission would cost less than $200 million. The bill was paid by the man who made his fortune from the company.

Hubble lost its position as the world's most famous space telescope after the James Webb Space Telescope made its first images this summer. Hubble has made more than 1.5 million observations and helped generate more than 19,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Hubble has not been impervious to Earth's gravity. It has lost 30 kilometers of altitude since the last mission in 2009. 40 to 70 kilometers of boost could be provided by this mission, which could add up to 20 years to the Hubble's operational life. Hubble may need to be de-orbited by the end of the decade if a reboost mission isn't carried out.

It's not just the fact that the space agency is turning to commercial partnerships to execute essential missions that is noteworthy. It shows that NASA is willing to work with non-astronaut crews as well.

One of the greatest exploration assets of all time is the Hubble Space Telescope. Extending the life and capabilities of a great explorer is exciting.