美国国家航空航天局（NASA）发布了一份合同机会通知，也称为信息征集，面向能够为哈勃空间望远镜提供服务的商业航天组织。哈勃望远镜一直由乘坐航天飞机的NASA宇航员负责维护，但最后一次哈勃空间望远镜（HST）服务任务是STS-125航天飞机飞行任务，于2009年5月11日发射。当时，科学家们希望该任务能为这艘老牌航天器再增加五年的运行寿命。
NASA has posted a contract opportunity notice, also known as a request for information, from commercial space orgs who can service the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble was always looked after by NASA astronauts flying on the Space Shuttle, yet the last Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission was the STS-125 Space Shuttle flight, launched on May 11, 2009. At the time, scientists hoped the mission would add another five years of operational life to the venerable spacecraft.
近17年过去了，哈勃空间望远镜（又称哈勃）仍在持续产出科学成果。然而，该天文台的时间所剩无几。NASA估计，到2032年9月，其再入地球大气层的概率为10%，到2033年12月将上升至50%。正如“雨燕”任务的结束所显示的那样，太阳活动增强会导致大气阻力比预期更大。此外，与“雨燕”卫星一样，哈勃没有推进系统，因此当它再入大气层时（如果不进行干预，它终将再入），再入过程将是不可控的。
Almost 17 years on, the HST (aka Hubble) is still delivering science. However, time is running out for the observatory. NASA reckons there is a 10 percent chance it could reenter the Earth's atmosphere by September 2032, rising to 50 percent by December 2033. As the end of the Swift mission showed, increased solar activity can cause greater-than-anticipated atmospheric drag. Also, like Swift, Hubble has no propulsion system, and so when it reenters (as it will, without intervention), the reentry will be uncontrolled.
哈勃质量足够大，因此当那一天来临时，地面上有人遭遇厄运的可能性虽小但确有存在。因此，NASA建议的一个任务选项是派遣一艘飞行器捕获天文台并实施受控再入和处置。不过，还有其他选项。一种是将望远镜的轨道提升至至少600公里，另一种是“提升其持续性能，增强其弹性和预期在轨寿命”。这两个选项都很有吸引力，也很重要，因为正如NASA所承认的，预计在2040年代“宜居世界天文台”（HWO）投入运行之前，不会有哈勃的替代者。
Hubble is sufficiently massive that there is a remote chance somebody on the ground could have a very bad day when that happens. As such, one mission option suggested by NASA is a vehicle to grapple the observatory and perform a controlled reentry and disposal. However, there are other options. Something to boost the telescope's orbit up to at least 600 km, or another to "enhance its ongoing performance and increase its resilience and expected on-orbit lifetime." Both are intriguing options, and important since, as NASA acknowledges, no replacement for Hubble is expected before the 2040s, when the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) could become operational.
尽管有詹姆斯·韦伯空间望远镜（JWST）和南希·格雷斯·罗曼空间望远镜，哈勃仍然需求旺盛，NASA报告称其超额订阅率为7:1。在出任NASA局长之前，贾里德·艾萨克曼曾主张开展SpaceX任务以提升哈勃轨道，但该想法最终被否决。
Despite the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Nancy Roman Space Telescope, Hubble remains in high demand, with NASA reporting a 7:1 oversubscription. Before becoming NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman advocated a SpaceX mission to boost the Hubble, but the idea was ultimately rejected.
类似计划现在可能被重新启用。NASA的要求是必须在2032年前完成一项任务，并且不能对哈勃造成损害。在STS-125任务期间，哈勃上安装了一个软捕获机制，这意味着与航天器对接将比计划中对斯威夫特进行的抓取更容易。然后，问题是如何处理它。受控再入是一个选项。其他选项——提升到更高的高度或“增强其持续性能并提高其韧性”——则引人关注。
Similar plans could now be dusted off. NASA's requirement is for a mission to occur by 2032, and not harm the Hubble. A soft-capture mechanism was fitted to Hubble during the STS-125 mission, which will mean docking with the spacecraft will be easier than the grappling planned for Swift. Then, the question is what to do with it. A controlled reentry is one option. The other options – boosting to a higher altitude or "enhance its ongoing performance and increase its resilience" are intriguing.
例如，诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司的任务延长飞行器（MEV）能够进行在轨服务并延长卫星的寿命。哈勃的难度要高出一个数量级，但技术障碍可以通过时间和资金来克服。去年，《The》与约翰·格伦斯菲尔德博士进行了交谈，他是曾在STS-125任务期间为哈勃工作的宇航员之一（现已退休）。格伦斯菲尔德告诉我们，随着预算被逐渐削减，这艘老旧的航天器面临着千刀万剐般的死亡。
Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), for example, is capable of on-orbit servicing and extending the lifetime of satellites. The Hubble is an order of magnitude more challenging, but the technological hurdles can be overcome with time and funding. Last year, The spoke with Dr John Grunsfeld, one of the astronauts (now retired) who worked on Hubble during the STS-125 mission. Grunsfeld told us that the veteran spacecraft faced death by a thousand cuts as its budget was whittled away.
该天文台最近从三陀螺仪模式切换为单陀螺仪模式（望远镜使用陀螺仪来控制其指向位置），以勉强延长几年的运行寿命。目前，NASA正在征求信息和意见——这不是征求建议书。没有迹象表明该机构预计要支付多少费用。然而，时间表是不可改变的。如果不加干预，哈勃将在未来几年内进行不受控的再入。®
The observatory itself recently switched from three to one gyro mode (the telescope uses gyros to control where it is pointed) to eke out a few more years of operational life. At this point, NASA is looking for information and comment – this isn't a request for proposals. There is no indication of how much the agency expects to pay. However, the timescale is immutable. Without intervention, Hubble will make an uncontrolled reentry in the coming years. ®