NASA has temporarily halted science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope after one of its gyroscopes began sending faulty readings back to Earth. The telescope, which has provided breathtaking views of the universe since it was launched in 1990, was placed into safe mode on Tuesday while NASA assesses the situation.
Despite the malfunctioning gyroscope, NASA has reported that Hubble’s instruments are stable and the overall health of the telescope is good. The gyroscopes are crucial for determining the direction in which the telescope is orientated by measuring its rate of turning. This particular gyro experienced a similar issue in November 2023, resulting in Hubble being placed in safe mode.
The team operating Hubble is currently working to identify potential solutions to the gyroscope problem. If the faulty gyro cannot be fixed, Hubble can be reconfigured to operate using just one gyro while keeping the other gyro as a backup. The gyroscopes were installed in 2009 during Hubble’s final servicing mission and only three remain, including the malfunctioning one.
Despite these challenges, NASA is optimistic that Hubble will continue to make significant discoveries in collaboration with other observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope. The agency expects Hubble to remain operational throughout this decade and possibly into the next, continuing to expand our understanding of the universe.