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    NASA · ESA · Space telescope

    Hubble Space Telescope

    A 2.4 m telescope that has made more than 1.6 million observations and helped measure the expansion rate and accelerating expansion of the universe.

    ActiveOperating in one-gyro mode since 2024 to extend its life.

    Launch date

    1990-04-24

    Destination

    Low Earth orbit (~520 km)

    Agencies

    NASA, ESA

    Objectives

    • Ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared astronomy above the atmosphere

    Spacecraft

    2.4 m primary mirror; serviced five times by Space Shuttle crews (1993–2009)

    Scientific instruments and systems

    • Wide Field Camera 3
    • Advanced Camera for Surveys
    • Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
    • STIS

    Timeline

    1. 1990-04-24Launched on Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31)
    2. 1993-12First servicing mission corrected the mirror's spherical aberration
    3. 2009-05Final servicing mission (STS-125)

    Major achievements

    • Hubble Deep Field and Ultra Deep Field
    • Co-discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe

    Status reviewed 2026-10-23. For official images and the latest updates, visit the agency pages listed under Sources.