The Hubble telescope, which has been in space for 34 years, is currently in safe mode due to a faulty gyroscope. NASA is working on resolving the issue that caused the telescope to enter safe mode on April 23. While the gyroscopes are responsible for measuring the telescope’s turn rates and direction, one of them gave faulty readings, prompting the telescope to enter safe mode.
This is not the first time that Hubble has entered safe mode because of a gyroscope problem. The same issue occurred in November 2023, and the team is still working to identify potential solutions to the current problem. If necessary, Hubble can operate with only one gyro while the others remain in reserve. There were six gyroscopes installed during a space shuttle servicing mission in 2009, and three of them are still operational.
Despite this setback, NASA remains optimistic about Hubble’s ability to continue making groundbreaking discoveries and scientific observations. The telescope has made over 1.6 million observations and contributed to 44,000 scientific papers since its launch in 1990. To commemorate its 34th anniversary, astronomers captured a new image of the Little Dumbbell Nebula located 3,400 light-years away. In addition to this milestone achievement, NASA is excited about Hubble’s continued collaboration with other observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope in the coming years.
NASA hopes that they will be able to resolve this issue soon so that Hubble can continue making groundbreaking discoveries and scientific observations as it has done for over three decades now.
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