Elon Musk’s SpaceX is planning to fund the study which could see one of the firms dragon rockets used to adjust the telescope’s orbit in a servicing mission.

Hubble orbits the Earth in the extremely tenuous upper atmosphere, and over time its orbit decays due to drag.

If not reboosted, it is estimated that it will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere sometime between 2028 and 2040, with the exact date depending on how active the Sun is and its impact on the upper atmosphere.

If Hubble were to descend in a completely uncontrolled re-entry, parts of the main mirror and its support structure would probably survive, leaving the potential for damage or even human fatalities.

In November 2021, Nasa extended the service contract for Hubble until June 2026.

SpaceX proposed the study to better understand the technical challenges associated with servicing missions. This study is non-exclusive, and other companies may propose similar studies with different rockets...