The telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, was launched in 1990 and operates about 515 kilometers above Earth.
By: Sergio Henriquez
June 5, 2024 Time: 03:38
At the end of the telescope’s functional life, NASA plans to safely deorbit it or dispose of the device.
The Hubble space telescope will limit its observations to space before being taken out of service due to a new malfunction, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Tuesday.
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According to NASA, in recent months one of the three gyroscopes that control the direction the telescope is pointing has become unstable, leading to intermittent “safe mode” episodes.
“After completing a series of tests and carefully considering our options, we made the decision to transition Hubble from operational use to just one of the three remaining gyroscopes,” announced Mark Clampin, director of NASA’s astrophysics division. .
Hubble will reduce its science operations by 12 percent, going from 85 weekly orbits to 74, according to the telescope’s mission project manager.
Over the course of a year, the space telescope will still be able to observe the night sky, but it will not be able to track objects that are closer than the planet Mars, the NASA official added.
The US aerospace agency estimates that Hubble can operate in more than 70 percent of this configuration until 2035.
At the end of the telescope’s functional life, NASA plans to safely deorbit it or dispose of the device.
The telescope, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, was launched in 1990 and operates about 515 kilometers above Earth.
Between 1993 and 2009, astronauts visited Hubble five times on repair missions.
Author: SH
Source: AFP – DW
