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Hubble Spacecraft Update

At 6:44 a.m. on April 21, it was reported that a gyroscope (gyro) on the Hubble Space Telescope had stopped working. Gyros help keep the spacecraft oriented and pointed in a precise direction. Built for multiple redundancies, Hubble has a total of six gyros; it usually uses three gyros and can continue to make scientific observations with even just one. This is the second gyro to stop working since Hubble’s last servicing mission in 2009. Current and planned observations will continue unaffected. Hubble continues to be in excellent health, and we expect the 28-year-old Great Observatory to continue bringing us groundbreaking science for years to come.

Contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
301-286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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Last Updated
Oct 04, 2023
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NASA Hubble Mission Team
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