Private mission to save the Hubble Space Telescope raises concerns, NASA emails show

The Hubble Space Telescope in 2009, locked in a space shuttle's cargo bay, before the final repair work ever done. (NASA/JSC)

For over three decades, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning images of distant galaxies and stars, allowing astronomers to probe the evolution of the universe and its most mysterious cosmic phenomena.

But all that may come to an end around 2034. That's when the telescope, which is slowly drifting down toward Earth, is expected to burn up as it plunges through the atmosphere.