There have been difficulties with Hubble in the past. The telescope has had a number of problems since it was launched in 1990, one of which was a significant mirror fault that was eventually fixed by a service mission.

On Friday, NASA’s venerable Hubble Space Telescope is set to resume its scientific activities following a temporary pause caused by technical issues.

On November 23, one of the observatory’s gyroscopes-which are essential for aligning the telescope-started relaying erroneous data, putting the famous facility in a precautionary safe mode.

NASA engineers conducted a thorough battery of tests in response to the gyroscope malfunction, and they have now determined that the telescope can safely resume its mission with three functional gyroscopes.

The team has chosen to use these gyroscopes in a high-precision mode for gathering scientific data in order to improve the accuracy of observations.

There have been difficulties with Hubble in the past. The telescope has had a number of problems since it was launched in 1990, one of which was a significant mirror fault that was eventually fixed by a service mission.

Despite these difficulties, Hubble has lasted more than thirty years and has produced amazing pictures and insightful scientific data because of numerous astronaut servicing flights that have updated and enhanced its equipment.

The current gyroscope problem is not new; Hubble has experienced gyro-related issues in the past but has shown to be durable, able to carry out observations even with a single gyro if needed.

Three of the six new gyroscopes installed on the telescope during the 2009 servicing trip are still operational, including the one that is exhibiting variations at the moment.

As for Hubble’s contributions to astronomy in the future, Nasa is still upbeat about it and anticipates that it will continue to collaborate with more recent observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope well into this decade and possibly the next.

Hubble’s record of more than 33 years of operation, during which it has generated ground-breaking discoveries and increased our understanding of the universe, supports the agency’s confidence.