NASA Seeks Private-sector Help to Keep Hubble Afloat

WHO:

Gizmodo - NASA issued a request for information (RFI) seeking ideas from the commercial space industry for a Hubble Space Telescope mission.

Gizmodo - NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, “Hubble still has important science ahead of it, and we should be looking at every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering for as long as possible.”

Gizmodo - Isaacman also said, “If there are innovative and cost-effective ways to extend the life of an asset already on orbit, we owe it to the American taxpayer and the scientific community to explore them.”

Ars Technica - NASA solicited ideas for reboosting Hubble four years earlier, but those efforts did not lead to action.

WHAT:

Gizmodo - NASA is seeking proposals to raise Hubble’s orbit, service the telescope, or guide it through a controlled re-entry.

Gizmodo - The telescope has been steadily losing altitude and is predicted to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in the early-to-mid 2030s.

Gizmodo - Proposals must preserve Hubble from harm; NASA is also open to controlled disposal if extending the telescope’s service is not feasible.

Gizmodo - Hubble was launched into low-Earth orbit in 1990. A Space Shuttle Columbia servicing mission boosted its orbit in 2002.

Gizmodo - Applicants must plan the mission, provide and launch their own spacecraft, and supply a human crew if needed.

WHERE:

Gizmodo - Hubble orbits Earth in low-Earth orbit.

Gizmodo - The proposed reboost target is an altitude of 373 miles (600 km) or higher.

WHEN:

Gizmodo - NASA issued the RFI on October 29.

Gizmodo - The proposed mission would take place in 2032.

Gizmodo - Proposal submissions are due November 30.

Ars Technica - NASA’s previous solicitation for Hubble reboost ideas was four years before its article.

WHY:

Gizmodo - NASA is seeking ways to counter Hubble’s gradual orbital altitude loss and prolong its scientific work.

Gizmodo - The Space Shuttle fleet is grounded, leaving NASA without its own spacecraft for the task.

Gizmodo - Isaacman cited potential benefits to U.S. taxpayers and the scientific community from cost-effective life-extension options.

HOW:

Gizmodo - Companies are asked to describe their current or near-future capabilities for safely capturing Hubble, raising its orbit, servicing it, or conducting a controlled re-entry.

Gizmodo - NASA’s earlier effort to solicit reboost ideas did not go anywhere, according to Ars Technica.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 19:01 UTC)

NASA is seeking commercial proposals to boost, service, or safely dispose of Hubble. The aging telescope is sinking toward re-entry, threatening decades of scientific work. A proposed mission in 2032 could raise Hubble’s orbit and extend its service.