As Hubble telescope celebrates its 34th anniversary, it has once again entered safe mode due to a faulty gyroscope. NASA is currently working to resolve the issue that caused the telescope to enter safe mode on April 23. This is not the first time Hubble has experienced this problem; it also occurred in November 2023. The team is currently working to identify potential solutions and if necessary, the spacecraft can operate with only one gyro while the others remain in reserve.
Hubble had six gyroscopes installed during a space shuttle servicing mission in 2009, and three of them are still operational. Despite the current issue, NASA remains confident in 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. To mark its anniversary, astronomers captured a new image of the Little Dumbbell Nebula, located 3,400 light-years away.
NASA is also looking forward to Hubble’s continued collaboration with other observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope in the coming years. The Hubble telescope has played a crucial role in modern astrophysics and will continue to do so for years to come.