NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is back in safe mode again with operations still suspended because of a critical malfunction.
The space agency said Saturday night on its Twitter account that the observatory was in safe mode Friday, the second time the craft has gone into this status since April.
On Oct. 11, the telescope malfunctioned for the first time during a scientific instrument checkout.
“Hubble experiencing a ground radio glitch. Repair will require this to be disconnected from the ground and reattached,” NASA tweeted.
With customers today, understanding the severity of these events: https://t.co/aVAX8SKYiz — Hubble (@NASAHubble) November 18, 2018
On Nov. 18, NASA posted another tweet noting that the observatory had entered a glitch period after getting back into safe mode Friday.
“NASA confirmed that no vital science was compromised and the status of the mission remains unaffected. Hubble re-entered safe mode after observing an incorrect resolution on one of its instruments,” the agency tweeted.
Hubble spokesman David Leckrone later tweeted a statement on Friday about the incident.
“NASA and the European Space Agency crew members working on board the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, continue to monitor the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as they work to solve a problem detected during a routine test,” the statement said.