NASA issued a Request for Information on Oct. 29, the agency said. It seeks commercial interest in boosting the Hubble Space Telescope to a higher altitude, servicing it to enhance its capabilities, or performing a safe, controlled reentry or orbital disposal at the end of its mission. An RFI is a market-research notice that invites industry input. Ars Technica reported NASA is not committing to buying a rescue mission.
According to Ars Technica, the notice also asks about capturing the telescope. A reboost lifts a craft higher; a controlled reentry steers it onto a planned atmospheric path rather than leaving timing and debris footprint to chance. Responses are due by 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 30, 2026, according to NASA. The RFI says any boost or servicing must not harm the telescope, and the contractor would provide the launch vehicle, spacecraft, mission operations, and "crew if applicable," Ars reported.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that 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." Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, said commercial industry "has rapidly evolved in recent years to offer new capabilities for in-space satellite capture and servicing."