The problem with the Hubble Space Telescope has reignited debate over whether NASA can approve a special mission to re-accelerate and potentially repair the spacecraft. NASA announced on November 29 that Hubble was in safe mode due to a problem with one of its three working gyroscopes. This gyroscope first went into safe mode on November 19 when it gave what NASA called false readings. Spacecraft controllers restarted Hubble but encountered problems again on November 21 and 23.

The agency said in a statement that engineers were examining the problem and did not predict when science would resume. Hubble can operate with only one gyroscope, but some performance loss may occur, such as the inability to perform some solar system observations. Hubble has six gyroscopes, which were installed during the fifth and final shuttle maintenance mission in 2009. Three of the six have since failed.

News of this latest temporary issue with Hubble prompted a response from billionaire Jared Isaacs, who backs SpaceX’s Polaris program for special astronaut missions. “Put us on the trainer,” he wrote on social media.

This was a reference to a study announced in September 2022 involving Isaacman, SpaceX and NASA to explore the possibility of a special mission to re-accelerate and possibly repair Hubble using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. At the time, Isaacman suggested that the Hubble mission could be the second of three planned Polaris missions. The unfunded Space Accord study was completed earlier this year, but neither NASA nor SpaceX has released any details about the study’s findings or next steps.

In other social media posts, Isaacman suggested the study concluded the rescue and care mission was feasible: “It should be an easy risk/reward decision.” It also did not reveal details about how the mission would proceed.

SpaceX isn’t the only option to serve Hubble, either. Last December, NASA issued a request for information exploration concepts for commercial missions to revive Hubble. NASA has said it would not fund such a mission, instead offering it as an opportunity for companies to demonstrate their satellite maintenance capabilities.

The agency received eight responses, including one from satellite maintenance company Astroscale, which works in partnership with space transportation company Momentus. NASA said at the time that it was evaluating them but did not give a timeline for completing that review.

“Part of this review is looking at the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope and how it will work with the telescope, as well as ensuring the safety of the telescope during the process,” said Mark Clampin, director of NASA’s Astrophysics Division. . Evaluation of these maintenance recommendations at NASA’s Science Board meeting on July 27.

Industry officials have said privately that they believe some type of relaunch mission involving Crew Dragon or a robotic spacecraft is possible with current capabilities. This will help extend Hubble’s lifetime by counteracting the gradual degradation of its orbit due to atmospheric drag.

But given the complexity of such work, there are more doubts about the ability to repair Hubble. Dragon lacks capabilities like a gateway and robotic maintenance arm, and robotic systems have yet to demonstrate the ability to perform complex repairs in orbit.

There is also a cost issue. While NASA has said the reset mission will be a no-cost mission, industry experts say the maintenance mission will likely have some costs for NASA, such as the hardware needed to perform repairs and the time NASA engineers will spend to maintain the work.

This comes as the agency’s science divisions are bracing for potentially significant budget cuts. Clampin said at an advisory committee meeting on Oct. 13 that Hubble’s fiscal 2024 operating budget is being considered for reduction by an unspecified amount.