NASA is asking private companies to propose ways to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope. The agency has issued a Request for Information, which will remain open through November 30 at 3 PM ET.
According to the source, Hubble will fall back to Earth sometime in the 2030s unless its orbit is boosted. The telescope is not in immediate danger of burning up in the atmosphere.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a post on the agency's site: "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 … 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."
The source does not describe specific proposals, cost estimates, or technical methods.