“The payload computer’s purpose is to control and coordinate the science instruments and monitor them for health and safety purposes,” NASA announced.
NASA says that a degrading computer memory module is most likely the source of the problems. Unfortunately, attempts to switch to a backup memory module have also been unsuccessful.
The technology Hubble is using dates back to the 1980s, and it was upgraded during maintenance work in 2009.
There are problems with a gyroscope that helps the Hubble to point and orient the massive telescope. And the unit is operating in “safe mode.”
Even in safe mode, NASA claims its “instruments are still fully functional and are expected to produce excellent science for years to come.”
Get ready for the Webb
Hubble’s successor is the James Webb Space Telescope. And it is scheduled to launch in November 2021.
The Webb has upgraded technology and is more powerful than the Hubble. It is designed to see in more detail than ever our expanding universe.
This Webb observatory will be too farther from Earth. It is planned to be launched for a 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) distance in a solar orbit. This will be too far away for astronauts to do tune-ups and minor repairs.
