The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most important scientific instruments ever built. If you’ve ever wondered who launched Hubble telescope, the answer involves a team of thousands and a very famous space shuttle mission. This eye in the sky has changed our understanding of the universe, but its journey to orbit is a story of ambition, engineering, and a crucial repair job.
Getting such a complex observatory off the ground was a monumental task. It wasn’t just about building a telescope; it was about designing a vehicle to carry it, a team to deploy it, and a plan to maintain it for decades. The launch was just the beginning of Hubble’s epic story.
Who Launched Hubble Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched by NASA, with significant contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA). The specific vehicle that carried it to orbit was the Space Shuttle Discovery. On April 24, 1990, at 8:33:51 a.m. EDT, mission STS-31 lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew of five astronauts were the human hands that made it happen.
This mission was dedicated to deploying the telescope. The shuttle reached a record altitude of about 380 miles to place Hubble in a high orbit, minimizing atmospheric drag. The successful deployment was a triumph, but soon after, scientists realized there was a serious problem with the telescope’s primary mirror.
The STS-31 Crew: The Launch Team
* Commander Loren J. Shriver: Oversaw the entire mission.
* Pilot Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (who later became NASA Administrator): Assisted in shuttle operations.
* Mission Specialist Steven A. Hawley: Responsible for operating the shuttle’s robotic arm that deployed Hubble.
* Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless II: Assisted with deployment and was famous for his earlier untethered spacewalk.
* Mission Specialist Kathryn D. Sullivan: Assisted with deployment and became the first American woman to perform a spacewalk during this mission.
The Partnership That Made Hubble Possible
While NASA managed the launch and overall mission, the Hubble project was always an international effort. The European Space Agency provided key hardware, including the solar arrays that power the telescope, and in return, European scientists receive a guaranteed share of observing time. This partnership shared the financial burden and the scientific rewards, making Hubble a truly global observatory.
Funding and building Hubble took years of political and scientific debate. Congress approved funding in the 1970s, with an initial launch planned for 1983. Delays in the Space Shuttle program after the Challenger tragedy in 1986 pushed the launch date to 1990. The long wait was frustrating, but it allowed engineers to incorporate even more advanced technology into the design.
Key Institutions in Hubble’s Creation
Beyond NASA and ESA, specific institutions played starring roles.
* Marshall Space Flight Center: Managed the design, development, and construction of the telescope.
* Goddard Space Flight Center: Handles the control center and ongoing flight operations.
* Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI): In Baltimore, selects observation targets and processes the iconic data.
* Lockheed Martin: The primary contractor for the spacecraft’s construction.
* Perkin-Elmer: Built the optical system, including the flawed primary mirror.
The Famous Flaw and the First Repair Mission
Weeks after the celebratory launch, a disaster unfolded. Hubble’s first images were blurry. A devastating flaw was found in the primary mirror. It had been ground to the wrong shape, a mistake called spherical aberration. While the error was tiny—about 1/50th the thickness of a sheet of paper—it was enough to ruin the focus for many instruments.
This was a massive public relations and scientific setback. However, engineers had a clever solution. They designed a set of corrective optics, similar to glasses for the telescope. This fix would be installed by astronauts on a daring servicing mission.
In December 1993, Space Shuttle Endeavour (mission STS-61) embarked on one of the most complex space missions ever attempted. Over five intense spacewalks, astronauts installed the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) and a new camera with built-in correction. The mission was a complete success, and Hubble began delivering the stunning, sharp images we know today. This proved that Hubble was designed for something revolutionary: in-orbit servicing.
The Legacy of the Launch and Servicing Missions
The 1990 launch was not a one-time event. It initiated a program of maintenance that extended Hubble’s life for over 30 years. The shuttle program enabled five servicing missions between 1993 and 2009, which consistently upgraded Hubble with new, more powerful instruments.
Think of it like taking your computer in for upgrades every few years. Astronauts replaced old cameras with digital ones, swapped out solar panels, repaired broken equipment, and installed new spectrographs. Each mission essentially gave Hubble a new lease on life and more advanced capabilities.
Major Upgrades from Servicing Missions:
1. Servicing Mission 1 (1993): Installed COSTAR and WFPC2 camera to fix the mirror flaw.
2. Servicing Mission 2 (1997): Added the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).
3. Servicing Mission 3A (1999): Replaced gyroscopes and other critical systems.
4. Servicing Mission 3B (2002): Installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), a powerful new camera.
5. Servicing Mission 4 (2009): Installed Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), and repaired ACS and STIS.
Hubble’s Greatest Scientific Hits
Because of the launch and subsequent repairs, Hubble has produced an avalanche of discoveries. It helped pin down the age of the universe (about 13.8 billion years), confirmed the existence of supermassive black holes in galactic centers, and provided evidence for the acceleration of the universe’s expansion, pointing to dark energy.
Its deep field images, looking at a tiny patch of sky for days, revealed thousands of galaxies in what seemed like empty space, giving us a glimpse into the early universe. Hubble has also studied the atmospheres of exoplanets, watched comets collide with Jupiter, and tracked weather on other planets in our solar system.
How Hubble’s Data Reaches You
Ever wonder how a picture from the edge of the universe gets to your screen? It’s a multi-step process.
* Hubble collects light and its instruments create digital data.
* This data is transmitted via satellites to the ground at Goddard Space Flight Center.
* Goddard sends it to the Space Telescope Science Institute.
* Scientists at STScI calibrate and process the raw data into usable images and spectra.
* After a proprietary period for the observing scientist, the data enters a public archive for anyone to access.
Hubble vs. James Webb: Different Tools for Different Jobs
Many people think the newer James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) replaced Hubble. That’s not quite right. While JWST launched in 2021, Hubble remains active and productive. They are designed to see different types of light. Hubble primarily sees in visible and ultraviolet light, while Webb is an infrared telescope.
This means they work together. Hubble might observe the star-forming regions of a galaxy in visible light, while Webb peers through dust to see the newborn stars inside. Hubble is still crucial for UV astronomy, a field Webb cannot touch.
How You Can Access Hubble’s Images
One of the best parts about Hubble is that its belongs to the public. You can view thousands of its processed images directly on the official NASA and STScI websites. Sites like the Hubble Gallery or NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) feature stunning selections.
For the more adventurous, you can even dig into the raw data archives yourself. Amateur astronomers and students often process Hubble data to create their own versions of cosmic images. There’s online tutorials that guide you through using free software to work with the same data professional astronomers use.
The Future of Hubble
With the space shuttle retired, no further servicing missions are possible. Hubble’s fate is now tied to the reliability of its own components and the stability of its orbit. Engineers estimate that with careful management, Hubble could remain operational into the late 2020s or even the 2030s.
Eventually, its orbit will decay, and NASA has plans for a safe de-orbit using a robotic spacecraft to ensure it burns up safely over an ocean area. But until that day, it continues to make observations alongside Webb and other observatories, adding to its incredible legacy.
The question of who launched Hubble telescope starts with a shuttle crew but really includes scientists, engineers, politicians, and taxpayers across decades. It’s story of problem-solving on a cosmic scale. Its ongoing journey reminds us that seeing further sometimes requires looking back at what we’ve achived and building on it, one repair and one discovery at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Who was the Hubble telescope launched by?
A: It was launched by NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery (mission STS-31) on April 24, 1990. The European Space Agency was a major partner in the project.
Q: When did the Hubble telescope launch?
A: The launch date was April 24, 1990. It was deployed into orbit by the shuttle crew on April 25, 1990.
Q: Where was the Hubble telescope launched from?
A: It launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
Q: How much did it cost to launch Hubble?
A: The initial development and launch cost was about $2.5 billion (in 1990 dollars). The total cost over its lifetime, including servicing missions, is significantly higher but spread over 30+ years of operation.
Q: Could the Hubble launch have been done differently?
A: Initially, plans considered launching it on a traditional rocket, but the Space Shuttle was chosen for its ability to service and repair the telescope, a decision that proved vital for its success.
Q: What was wrong with Hubble when it launched?
A: A flaw in the polishing of its primary mirror caused spherical aberration, making the initial images blurry. This was corrected by astronauts in 1993.
Q: Is the Hubble telescope still in space?
A: Yes, Hubble is still operating and conducting scientific observations from its orbit roughly 340 miles above Earth.
Q: Who controls the Hubble telescope now?
A: Flight operations are managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientific operations, including selecting observation targets, are handled by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland.