Hubble Space Telescope faces a hiccup, but to stay in service for 'years to come'

The admired Hubble Space Telescope, which has revolutionised astronomical discovery since its launch in 1990, will ease into retirement with a scaled-back observing program, NASA officials said on Tuesday (June 4).

One of the three gyroscopes that manages the direction in which the telescope points has become unstable in recent months, leading to intermittent "safe mode" episodes.

"After carrying out a series of tests and carefully considering our options, we have decided that we will transition Hubble to operate using only one of its three remaining gyros," said NASA's Mark Clampin, director of the astrophysics division.

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While, the other gyro will be kept powered up in reserve for potential future use.

The transition, which is expected to be completed by mid-June, will reduce Hubble's efficiency at carrying out science observations by 12 per cent, dropping from 85 orbits a week to 74, informed Patrick Crouse, project manager for the Hubble Space Telescope mission.

The telescope can still observe the entire night sky throughout the year; it can no longer follow objects closer than Mars. These close-up observations were uncommon anyway, according to Crouse.

As per NASA’s calculations, there is a greater than 70 per cent chance of operating with this configuration through 2035.

At the end of the telescope's life, NASA plans to safely de-orbit or otherwise dispose of the popular science instrument.

"We do not see Hubble as being on its last legs, we do think it's a very capable observatory, (poised) to do exciting science with other observatories in orbit and those that will join us in orbit," said Crouse.

The telescope was launched in 1990 and operates about 320 miles (515 kilometers) above Earth, it was named after astronomer Edwin Hubble.

Between 1993 and 2009 astronauts visited Hubble five times on repair missions.

NASA and SpaceX earlier said they were studying a probable mission that would re-boost Hubble's orbit, which slowly decays over time due to Earth's gravitational pull, and part of that review also considered ways to alleviate against the loss of gyros.

However, Clampin downplayed the idea of adding external gyroscopes, calling them "vague concepts" that were never genuinely explored.

Hubble continues to make significant discoveries, including in 2022 when it detected the farthest individual star ever seen -- Earendel, whose light took 12.9 billion years to reach us.

Clampin said despite its waning capacity, Hubble keeps performing a "breadth of great science," from exploring objects in our solar system to investigating early galaxies to collaborating with the newer James Webb Space Telescope to investigate the atmospheres of exoplanets.

While Webb, now the main space telescope, stands out in infrared discovery, Hubble's expertise in visible light creates a complementary capability, allowing them to work together and significantly.

(With inputs from agencies)