The Hubble Space Telescope stopped collecting science data on 5 October, because of a problem with one of the gyroscopes the observatory uses to orient itself on celestial targets. Mission controllers are working on the problem and expect to have Hubble working again soon.

“Don’t worry, Hubble has many great years of science ahead,” says Kenneth Sembach, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which operates Hubble.

But the glitch underscores that the 2.4-metre Hubble, perhaps the most iconic space observatory in history , will eventually die. NASA’s decision to retire its space shuttles in 2011 means that astronauts cannot visit and service the 28-year-old observatory as they once did.

On their last servicing mission in May 2009, astronauts replaced all of Hubble’s six gyroscopes. Three of those were of a newer design that were meant to last much longer than prior designs. The one that failed was the first of the newer design to go.

Hubble can operate on just two gyroscopes or even one, but that limits its ability to point at targets. Its successor, the 6.5-metre James Webb Space Telescope, will not launch until 2021 at the earliest.