The Hubble Space Telescope is a 2.4-meter observatory that has orbited Earth since 1990, above the atmosphere that blurs ground-based views. Five space shuttle servicing missions repaired and upgraded it, including the famous 1993 fix for its flawed mirror.
Hubble sees mostly visible and ultraviolet light, which makes it a partner to Webb's infrared view rather than a predecessor put out to pasture. Together they observe the same targets in different wavelengths.
Hubble measured the age of the universe, proved supermassive black holes exist, imaged the first confirmed exoplanet atmosphere, and produced the deep field images that showed thousands of galaxies in a speck of empty sky. Thirty-five years in, it still observes almost every day.
Key Facts
- Launched
- April 24, 1990, aboard shuttle Discovery
- Orbit
- About 320 miles above Earth
- Mirror
- 2.4 meters
- Servicing missions
- 5 (1993-2009)
- Sees in
- Ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared
Timeline
April 1990
Launch and deployment from shuttle Discovery
December 1993
First servicing mission corrects the mirror flaw
1995
Original Deep Field image reveals thousands of distant galaxies
May 2009
Final servicing mission extends its life
Next up
Continued joint observations with Webb
Latest Hubble Space Telescope News
Ancient Milky Way Merger
This artist’s concept, released on Aug. 17, 2026, depicts a collision between our Milky Way galaxy and a dwarf galaxy known as LKH that happened about 12 billion years ago. A study of data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telesc
Hubble Space Telescope
Colorful Collage of Tarantula Nebula
Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope combine to reveal a vibrant view of 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula, in this Aug. 11, 2026, image. Loca
James Webb Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Solves Merger Mystery From Milky Way’s Early Years
New Hubble data shows definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Milky Way in the earliest phases of its evolution.
Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble & Gaia solve our galaxy's merger mystery
Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to its current size in part by consuming smaller galaxies. Now, new data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Mil
Hubble Space Telescope
Lion Nebula Roars to Life With NASA’s Webb
Observing across the starry “plains” of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000,
James Webb Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
NASA’s Hubble Shows Star Formation in Andromeda Galaxy Winding Down
NASA’s Hubble finds that star formation in the Andromeda galaxy has undergone a 500-million-year decline.
Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Spies One-Sided Spiral
This Hubble image features spiral galaxy NGC 4654, located 72 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo (the Maiden).
Hubble Space Telescope
Facts last reviewed 2026-07-11. Official mission page: science.nasa.gov