Spacecraft Archive
Hubble Space Telescope
Space Telescopes
NASA's first Great Observatory, Hubble has spent over three decades capturing some of the most recognizable images in the history of astronomy from low Earth orbit, far above the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Space Telescopes • Active
Overview
Built for the mission
NASA's first Great Observatory, Hubble has spent over three decades capturing some of the most recognizable images in the history of astronomy from low Earth orbit, far above the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere.
Spacecraft Details
Type
Space Telescope
Manufacturer
Lockheed Martin (spacecraft), Perkin-Elmer (optics)
Launch Date
April 24, 1990
Launch Vehicle
Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31)
Launch Site
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center
Primary Mirror
2.4 meters (7.9 ft)
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit, approximately 535 km altitude
Program
Space Telescopes
Status
Active, serviced five times by Space Shuttle astronauts between 1993 and 2009
Operator
NASA / ESA / Space Telescope Science Institute
Related Program
Space Telescopes
NASA's uncrewed observatories, launched above Earth's atmosphere to see the universe with a clarity no ground-based telescope can match.
Explore Program