NASA, SpaceX Study Boosting Hubble To Extend Its Lifespan

Two of Silicon Valley's wealthiest men are teaming up to save one of the most important pieces of American infrastructure: the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been a vital part of American space exploration for over 40 years," said Musk. "We hope this study will help ensure that the telescope continues to serve humanity for many more years to come.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been a valuable resource for scientific discovery for more than three decades, and we are committed to ensuring that it remains operational for as long as possible

Hubble is one of the most important spacecraft ever built, and we are deeply committed to ensuring that it continues providing essential science for years to come

Hubble is currently about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from the Earth, and it will fall out of orbit and become a permanent part of the atmosphere in about five years.

SpaceX believes that their Crew Dragon spacecraft can be used to carry more cargo and bring astronauts to and from the ISS more efficiently than the Soyuz.

When the shuttle was going to Hubble, astronauts installed a docking ring that was to help NASA take Hubble out of orbit when it needed to. Crew Dragon does have a docking port though, so if NASA ever needs to take Hubble back into orbit, they can do so.

Mr. Isaacman said that the first mission, Polaris Dawn, which he said would launch toward the end of the first quarter of next year, is aiming to reach the highest altitude of any astronaut mission since the Apollo moon landings and to include the first private spacewalk.