Hubble telescope launch date. Design: At the heart of Hubble are a 2.

Hubble telescope launch date. Full Timeline: Milestones Although the Hubble Space Telescope has been in orbit since 1990, its origins date long before that. Jan 30, 2022 · Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has provided a dazzling array of images that have awed and inspired the public. Learn more about this amazing telescope, its discoveries, and its name from NASA Space Place, a science website for kids. , Bruce McCandless, II, Kathryn Sullivan and Steven Hawley. April 25, 1990: Hubble Space Telescope deployed into orbit with first-generation scientific instruments WFPC, GHRS, FOS, FOC, and HSP. It was equipped with five scientific instruments: the Wide Field/Planetary Camera, the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph, the Faint Object Camera, the Faint Object Spectrograph and the High Speed Photometer. The Large Space Telescope is renamed the Hubble Space Telescope, after the renowned astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble, who proved the existence of other galaxies and discovered the first evidence for an expanding Universe. EDT. Hubble was launched April 24, 1990, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-31 mission. Apr 24, 2020 · The initial launch date was set for 1983, but a series of delays caused the launch to be pushed back. Soon after launch, astronomers realized that the primary mirror had a flaw called spherical aberration, which caused its images to be blurry. Apr 24, 2020 · The same year, NASA renamed the LST after astronomer Edwin P. The Space Shuttle Discovery carried it into orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was the first and flagship mission of NASA's Great Observatories program. Hubble orbits at a speed of 17,000 miles per hour (27,000 kph) and completes one orbit approximately every 95 m Apr 24, 2024 · Congress initially granted funding for NASA’s portion of what was then called the Large Space Telescope in 1977 and production began almost immediately, with a planned launch date for 1983. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Deployed April 24, 1990: (STS-31) Launch of Shuttle Discovery. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versatile, renowned as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy. NASA planned to launch the telescope in 1983, but May 2, 2025 · Prior to installation, technicians inspect the primary mirror of the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA’s goal is to operate Hubble concurrently with the James Webb Space Telescope, the agency’s new and most capable infrared observatory, planned for launch Feb 13, 2025 · Named in honor of the trailblazing astronomer Edwin Hubble, the Hubble Space Telescope is a large, space-based observatory that has changed our understanding of the cosmos since its launch and deployment by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990. Spacecraft. Credit: Release date: 26 April 1990: Size: 1904 x 2860 px: About the Object. Jun 13, 2025 · Learn about the journey of the Hubble Space Telescope from its conception in 1946 to its launch on April 24, 1990. May 1, 2015 · Description. Left: Early construction of the frame of the Hubble Space Telescope. STS-31 was launched on April 24, 1990, at 12:33:51 UTC (8:33:51 am EDT, local time at the launch site). 4 m primary mirror and a collection of five science instruments that work across the entire optical spectrum - from infrared, through the visible, to ultraviolet probability that Hubble’s instruments and primary spacecraft subsystems (gyros, reaction wheels, solar arrays, batteries, etc. The APU was eventually replaced, and the Hubble Space Jun 25, 2024 · In 2020, the Hubble Space Telescope achieves its 30th year in orbit. In 1946, Lyman Spitzer, a professor and researcher at Yale University, argued that a space telescope would offer great advantages over ground-based Jan 3, 2023 · Hubble telescope launch date. Nov 3, 2020 · The Hubble Space Telescope is named after Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953) who was one of the great pioneers of modern astronomy. Over 30 years in orbit, HST has taken more than 1. Hubble and set the launch for October 1986. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. 5 million observations, and this data has formed the basis of nearly 20,000 scientific publications on objects as near as the moon and as far as the most remote galaxies — not to mention the Apr 18, 2008 · NASA forms the Space Telescope Science Institute, which becomes a part of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), to manage the telescope's science program. Jan 24, 2025 · The complete timeline below describes Hubble’s history from the first proposal of a space telescope by Lyman Spitzer in 1946, through the completion of Hubble’s five servicing missions in the 1990s and 2000s, and to many of the significant observations and discoveries Hubble has made during its years in orbit. Jun 12, 2025 · The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit by space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. Explore the milestones, challenges and achievements of Hubble's 30 years of scientific observations. m. From determining the atmospheric composition of planets around other stars to discovering dark energy, Hubble has changed humanity's understanding of the universe. Jan 11, 2024 · A horizontal view of the launch of the STS-31 mission April 24, 1990. The first date set at FRR was earlier than that shown on previous planning schedules. The fault was resolved, and now the telescope faces six months of testing before becoming fully operational. Official launch time was 8:33:51 a. Photo Credit: NASA STS-31’s opening launch attempt on 10 April 1990 ran smoothly. The Challenger accident in January 1986 placed all Shuttle flights on hold and delayed the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope to April 1990. The first serious concepts of a space-based optical observatory began just after World War II. Apr 26, 1990 · The Space Shuttle Discovery on it's way to space with the Hubble Space Telescope . 4 m, f/24 Ritchey-Chretien telescope capable of performing observations in the visible, near-ultraviolet, and near-infrared (1150 A to 1 mm). June 25, 1990: Spherical aberration discovered in Hubble's primary mirror COSTAR Approved: the creation of a complex packaging of five optical mirror pairs which would Launched on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) represents one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of unmanned space study. A launch attempt on April 10, 1990, was scrubbed at T−4 minutes for a faulty valve in auxiliary power unit (APU) number one. Apr 24, 2024 · After several years of planning, design, and construction, the Hubble Telescope was launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. ). ) will continue to operate until at least the year 2020. Some of its many triumphs included the Hubble Deep Field, a photograph of about 1,500 galaxies revealing galactic evolution, and the discoveries of Hydra and Nix, small moons orbiting the dwarf planet Pluto. Hubble's main instrument is a finely-polished mirror 94 inches (240 cm) across. Test image. . Hubble Space Telescope in the cargo bay of Discovery. Launch date: April 24, 1990: Rocket: Space Shuttle Discovery: Launch site: Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is the first big optical space observatory telescope. Hubble has just been released by the Shuttle's robotic arm and is slowly drifting away. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched by the shuttle Discovery (STS-31) on 24 April 1990 at 12:33:51 UTC. Apr 24, 2024 · Seven weeks before launch, in early March 1990, Kathy Sullivan backs out of the airlock to perform a simulated repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. The launch was scheduled for April 18, then April 12, then April 10, following the Flight Readiness Review (FRR). Design: At the heart of Hubble are a 2. Apr 1, 1990 · The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was the first mission to be launched as part of the Great Observatories program. The first components were designed in the 1940s. Onboard space shuttle Discovery are the crew of five veteran astronauts and the Hubble Space Telescope. 3 days ago · The Hubble Space Telescope is a testament to that concept. The Space Shuttle Discovery on its way to the skies with Hubble as the payload. NASA built the large space telescope in the 1980s. Hubble was released by the Shuttle's robotic arm on 26 April at 19:38 UT. Hubble’s unique design, allowing it to be repaired and upgraded with advanced technology by astronauts, has made it one of NASA’s longest-living and most valuable space-based observatories, beaming transformational astronomical images to Earth for decades. Apr 24, 1990 · Launch Highlights. Its design, technology and serviceability have made it one of NASA's most transformative observatories. 8 On the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's launch, NASA has released this Apr 14, 2025 · Hubble at Work Where is the Hubble Space Telescope? The Hubble Space Telescope orbits just above Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of approximately 320 miles (515 km). Designed to complement the wavelength capabilities of the other spacecraft in the program (CGRO, AXAF, and SIRTF), HST was a 2. When was the Hubble telescope made? The Hubble Space Telescope was launched on April 24, 1990. The launch scheduled for April 10 was scrubbed at T-4 minutes due to a faulty valve in auxiliary power unit (APU) number one. 1983: The spacecraft is officially named after astronomer Edwin P. Apr 17, 2023 · The same year, NASA renamed the LST after astronomer Edwin P. The Hubble Space Telescope has been operational since its 1990 launch. HST was the first telescope designed to be visited in space by astronauts and have repairs performed. Nasa hopes to release the first test image - of an open star cluster known as NGC 3532 - in about a week. Hubble. Apr 24, 2025 · NASA launched Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, in 2021, although unlike Hubble, JWST is stationed so far beyond Earth’s orbit that crewed servicing missions are too daunting Jun 17, 2025 · Hubble Space Telescope, the first sophisticated optical observatory placed into Earth’s orbit. The crew included astronauts Loren Shriver, Charles Bolden Jr. yyhxy kkduli ixuykb jajc pxbgqzo tzgqn eoof kigpb dmtikeuc gxdkhki