Hubble’s computer system dates back to the 1980s and runs the measurement instruments on board. NASA said that flight control is investigating what’s going on.
backup system
Also, Hubble had to be shut down last summer. Then the power supply to the computer on board the satellite failed. It took NASA a month to find the problem and turn Hubble into a backup system.
Launched in April 1990, Hubble has been orbiting the Earth for more than 31 years at an altitude of more than 500 km. The telescope examined distant galaxies, among other things, giving scientists a better picture of the origin of the universe.
burning in the air
Hubble received its last service in 2009. It is not known how long the instruments will last. If NASA abandons the space telescope, it could slowly fall out of orbit and eventually burn up in the atmosphere sometime within the next decade.
Hubble’s successor
Hubble’s successor should go to space at the end of this year. This is the James Webb Space Telescope, built by the United States, Europe and Canada.
The new telescope will not orbit the Earth, like Hubble, but around the Sun, 1.5 million km from Earth. At that location, James Webb has to search for planets where life might be possible, distant galaxies and traces of the Big Bang.
