Rescuing Hubble

The Hubble rescue

Since October 2018, the Hubble telescope is at the end of its long service life started in 1990, although it remains still operational. Due to this situation, the key element failure possibility would conduct to the orbital telescope final failure, before its re-enter in the atmosphere around 2028. In addition to the current crisis of the US space observatories, with constant delays and cost overruns of the James Webb telescope development, the natural complement and substitute for the Hubble. This situation leaves NASA’s orbital observatories program in a delicate situation; on one hand it’s impossible to count on the Space Shuttle (STS) to repair and maintain the old telescope in orbit, since its retirement in 2011, and on the other hand, the use of the new manned spacecrafts Crew Dragon and CTS-100 Starliner by 2020 isn’t too viable, due to delays and cost overruns in the CCDev-CCP program.

Hubble airlock and Crew Dragon spacecraft maintenance approach (NASA).

In addition, the use of robotic element possibility, such as the ICM module proposed in 2000, would be ruled out due to its complexity and cost reasons, updated to 2009, when the STS-125 mission was included inside the STS withdrawal program. Today, the only robotic element capable of carrying out operations similar to the ICM would be a Northrop Grumman MEV (Mission Extension Vehicle), premiered in 2019, and considering a heavy variant equipped with an APAS port (Androgynous Peripheral Attach System). This option means a decisively invest in resources and time in the development of this "ICM 2.0". There is currently no other mature option available in the context of the West’s rescue of Hubble.

MEV-1 spacecraft (Northrop Grumman).

However, there is another current possibility with the corresponding capabilities and time available, just looking at the East. The Hubble is equipped with an APAS LIDS docking port (Androgynous Peripheral Attach System - Low Impact Docking System), which could be used by American airlock and manned spacecrafts to dock with the Hubble, as the Space STS did until 2009.

Hubble LIDS APAS docking port. STS-125 in 2009 (NASA).

But not only the American manned spacecrafts have the international APAS docking system (developed in 1975 for the Apollo-Soyuz mission), the current Chinese Shenzhou spacecrafts (copies of the Soyuz spacecrafts) also are furnished with APAS docking ports since the Shenzhou 8 launch in 2011.

Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft with APAS docking port (China Space Flight).

In turn, such spacecrafts, unlike the Dragon Crew or Starliner, have the possibility to use their orbital module as an airlock for extravehicular activities or EVAs (inherited characteristic from the Soyuz, and already used in the Shenzhou 7 mission in 2008), eliminating the need of a separate airlock as required in the US proposal. In this way, a Shenzhou spacecraft could be now docked with the Hubble APAS port and could do extravehicular activities to repair and maintain the orbital complex. As well as, it could elevate the Hubble orbit, and by this way extend the useful life of the orbital telescope, as Russian Progress and Soyuz spacecrafts do exclusively with the International Space Station (ISS).

Shenzhou orbital module used as airlock for spacewalks (Lenta.ru).

The last element of this plan would be the use of imported Orlan-MK EVA suits in the mission, since both countries are familiar with them in their spacewalks during the ISS and Shenzhou 7 missions, in addition to Hubble repair tools provided by NASA.

Astronaut work suited with an Orlan-MK on the ISS (NASA).

Taikonauts exit the Shenzhou orbital module - airlock at Shenzhou 7 EVA activity in 2008 (Wired).

Although, the reason for the collaboration of the US and China governments in this project should be analyzed according to other factors:

Washington would be interested in keeping Hubble service and maintenance at low cost, due to the situation of delays and cost overruns with the James Webb and WFIRST telescopes, without doing revelations to China of sensitive information, about Hubble’s eighties technology. At the same time, the USA would control how China is learning and approaches the development of own Xuntian telescope; being able to influence in Chinese telescopes evolution with obsolete concepts and a long time developed technology, so affecting the progress of the Chinese space race to ensure American hegemony in this field.

James Webb orbital telescope (New Atlas).

While, for Beijing the experience would be useful for the development of its own Xuntian space telescope and the Tiangong orbital station. At the same time, China wouldn’t have to reveal any essential classified data concerning to the Chinese space development by teaching Shenzhou spacecraft "export" version to Americans, a spacecraft very similar to the Russian Soyuz, well known by the NASA as a result of the collaboration experience in the Mir and ISS programs (which would facilitate the training of the American crew). In addition, the Shenzhou spacecraft is already being replaced by the 2020 New Generation Chinese Spacecraft and the main Chinese space port will be transferred from Jiuquan (Inner Mongolia), where the Shenzhou is launched, to Wenchang (Hainan Island), where the new Chinese spacecraft is launched. In this way, the USA would only see what concerning to the Hubble-Shenzhou mission training, preparation and launch from Jiuquan, where there are the most obsolete and disappearing elements of the Chinese space program during the 1990s and 2000s. In turn, this country would maintain the Shenzhou spacecraft active until 2030, as a reserve and reinforcement of the New Generation Chinese Spacecraft launched from Wenchang to support the Tiangong space station program.

Shenzhou and New Generation Chinese spacecrafts (Spaceflight Inside / Spaceflight Now).

In conclusion, the two space superpowers could be interested in an Apollo-Soyuz type mission as a part of a necessary reduction of tensions between them in anticipation of a real conflict, as the US-China trade predicts. A similar motivation to the Brezhnev’s Soviet Union and the Nixon’s and Ford’s United States in 1975, during the Cold War and after the lunar race in 1961-1973. On the present occasion, Hubble-Shenzhou would compensate the loser nation or mark the end to the 2017-2024 Moon race with an honorable solution for both nations.

Apollo-Soyuz in 1975 (Future City).

By 2028, a CZ-2F launcher could take off with a Shenzhou spacecraft housing an American astronaut and a Chinese taikonaut to install and replace Chinese, European and American elements in the international Hubble orbital telescope.