CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – The Hubble Space Telescope temporarily stopped observing the cosmos.
NASA said the telescope entered a state of hibernation more than a week ago when one of its three remaining gyroscopes – part of the pointing system – malfunctioned. The same device has been running for months and disrupting scientific operations.
Hubble remains safe but inactive while flight controllers figure out how to proceed, officials said. The space agency planned to chart a path forward on Tuesday.
Hubble gained six new gyroscopes during the astronauts’ last visit in 2009. The devices’ spinning wheels keep the telescope stable and in the right direction, tracking Hubble’s rotation and position in space.
Three gyroscopes no longer work. NASA said the 34-year-old observatory could continue making discoveries with just one or two good gyroscopes.
The space shuttle Discovery launched Hubble into orbit in 1990. Its larger, more powerful successor, the Webb Space Telescope, was launched in 2021.
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