SpaceX, NASA to study raising Hubble Space Telescope to higher orbit

The deal signed by NASA and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. called for collaborating on a feasibility study of such a mission, though NASA has yet to commit to such a flight. NASA said that SpaceX is funding its own participation in the study.

NASA announced Thursday that it’s working with SpaceX to study using the company’s Dragon spacecraft to boost the space agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit. NASA and SpaceX signed a Space Act Agreement to look into such a flight.

Scientists have used Hubble to observe some of the most distant stars and galaxies yet seen, as well as the planets in our solar system. (NASA)

The deal signed by NASA and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. called for collaborating on a feasibility study of such a mission, though NASA has yet to commit to such a flight. NASA said that SpaceX is funding its own participation in the study.

“We obviously have a lot of experience,” from previous SpaceX missions docking with the International Space Station,” Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX, said at a NASA press conference. “We want to use that as our foundation.”