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NASA’s space telescope Hubble has been put in safe mode again after something hit it, but there is no evidence that the event damaged the telescope itself.
“The instrument confirmed it was in a safe mode, and was not damaged,” said Chris Kraft, NASA’s then director of the Goddard Space Flight Center. “Our technicians worked on it within a couple of hours and should be able to return the observatory to normal operating status within a few days.”
In the meantime, Hubble will continue using its backup systems to make observations.
The failure of one of the instruments in its Advanced Camera for Surveys space telescope earlier this year prompted the prompt introduction of a corrective software update to prepare for a return to normal operations. To check the observatory’s readiness for full operation, NASA installed the update last month. It is important to note that the installation of the software was unrelated to the emergency hardware change.
A news conference has been scheduled for 11:00 EST on 12 December.