NASA Solicits Commercial Bids for Hubble Salvage

NASA has issued a formal Request for Information seeking proposals from commercial space companies to provide "in-space servicing" for the Hubble Space Telescope, according to reporting from Wired.

Hubble lacks an onboard propulsion system to counteract atmospheric drag, and NASA analysis suggests the telescope will re-enter Earth's atmosphere by 2033 or 2034 if no action is taken. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated the agency is seeking "innovative and cost-effective ways" to extend the asset's life. While the primary goal is raising the telescope's altitude to prolong its operational lifespan, NASA is also open to industry proposals for functionality upgrades or a controlled disposal of the craft. NASA estimates any orbital raise mission must be executed by 2032.

This effort follows previous attempts to leverage commercial capabilities. Wired reports that in September 2022, NASA entered a nonfunding partnership with SpaceX to study the feasibility of using a Dragon spacecraft for the mission, though NASA funded no actual service mission at that time. In a separate effort in September 2025, NASA hired Katalyst Space Technologies to raise the orbit of the Swift Observatory. That mission was abandoned after a July 2026 launch resulted in an attitude control malfunction, leading to Swift's reentry over Indonesia on November 4.

Beyond orbital decay, the telescope is facing hardware failures. Wired notes that in June 2024, NASA transitioned Hubble to a new operating mode using only one of six gyros due to malfunctions and abnormal readings among the remaining operational units. Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, stated the agency is exploring possibilities to boost the orbit while developing a successor flagship mission.