Editing Hubble Space Telescope (section)

{{Short description|NASA/ESA space telescope launched in 1990}}
{{Redirect|Hubble|the astronomer|Edwin Hubble|other uses}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = Hubble Space Telescope
| names_list         = HST <br />Hubble
| image              = HST-SM4.jpeg
| image_caption      = Seen in orbit from the departing {{OV|104}} in 2009, flying Servicing Mission 4 ([[STS-125]]), the fifth and final Hubble mission.
| image_alt          = The Hubble Space Telescope in orbit
| image_size         = 300px
| mission_type       = [[Astronomy]]
| operator           = [[Space Telescope Science Institute|STScI]]
| COSPAR_ID          = 1990-037B
| SATCAT             = 20580
| website            = {{URL|nasa.gov/hubble}} <br />{{URL|hubblesite.org}}
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|24 April 1990 12:33:51|show=ymd|sep=,}} (ongoing)<ref name="hubb-site-30-anniv"/>
| manufacturer       = [[Lockheed Missiles and Space Company|Lockheed Martin]] (spacecraft)<br />[[PerkinElmer|Perkin-Elmer]] (optics)
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|11110|kg}}<ref name="hubblesite-facts">{{cite web |url=http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/quick_facts.php |title=Hubble Essentials: Quick Facts |website=HubbleSite.org |publisher=[[Space Telescope Science Institute]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706034142/http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/quick_facts.php |archive-date=July 6, 2016}}</ref>
| dimensions         = {{cvt|13.2|x|4.2|m}}<ref name="hubblesite-facts"/>
| power              = 2,800 [[watt]]s
| launch_date        = April 24, 1990, 12:33:51{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-31.html |title=STS-31 |publisher=NASA |last=Ryba |first=Jeanne |access-date=May 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507092146/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-31.html |archive-date=May 7, 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
| launch_rocket      = {{OV|103}} ([[STS-31]])
| launch_site        = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B|LC-39B]]
| launch_contractor  = [[Rockwell International]]
| deployment_date    = April 25, 1990<ref name="hubblesite-facts"/>
| entered_service    = {{start date and age|May 20, 1990}}<ref name="hubblesite-facts"/>
| disposal_type      = 
| deactivated        = 
| last_contact       = 
| decay_date         = 2030–2040 (estimated)<ref name="cbsnews20130530"/>
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]<ref name="heavens-above">{{cite web|url=http://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=20580|title=Hubble Space Telescope{{snd}}Orbit|publisher=Heavens Above|date=August 15, 2018|access-date=August 16, 2018|archive-date=August 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817124839/https://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=20580|url-status=live}}</ref>
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|537.0|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|540.9|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 28.47°
| orbit_period       = 95.42 minutes
| telescope_type     = [[Ritchey–Chrétien telescope|Ritchey–Chrétien]] reflector
| telescope_diameter = {{cvt|2.4|m}}<ref name="sm4_press">{{cite web|url=https://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/presskits/pdf/sm4_english.pdf|title=Hubble Space Telescope: Servicing Mission 4 Media Reference Guide|publisher=NASA/Lockheed Martin|first=Buddy|last=Nelson|pages=1–5|date=2009|access-date=May 31, 2018|archive-date=August 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827030024/http://spacetelescope.org/static/archives/presskits/pdf/sm4_english.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| telescope_focal_length = {{cvt|57.6|m}}<ref name="sm4_press"/>
| telescope_focal_ratio = {{f/|24}}
| telescope_area     = {{cvt|4.0|m2}}<ref name="JWST Scientist FAQ">{{cite web |url=https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/forScientists/faqScientists.html#collectingarea |title=FAQ for Scientists Webb Telescope |author=NASA |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210164855/https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/forScientists/faqScientists.html#collectingarea |archivedate=February 10, 2022 |accessdate=February 15, 2022 }}</ref>
| telescope_wavelength = [[Near-infrared]], [[visible light]], [[ultraviolet]]
| instruments_list   = {{Infobox spaceflight/Instruments
 | acronym1 = [[Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer|NICMOS]] | name1 = Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer
 | acronym2 = [[Advanced Camera for Surveys|ACS]]                           | name2 = Advanced Camera for Surveys
 | acronym3 = [[Wide Field Camera 3|WFC3]]                                  | name3 = Wide Field Camera 3
 | acronym4 = [[Cosmic Origins Spectrograph|COS]]                           | name4 = Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
 | acronym5 = [[Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph|STIS]]                 | name5 = Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph
 | acronym6 = [[Fine Guidance Sensor|FGS]]                                  | name6 = Fine Guidance Sensor
 }}
| programme          = '''[[Great Observatories program|NASA Great Observatories]]'''
| previous_mission   = 
| next_mission       = [[Compton Gamma Ray Observatory|Compton]]
| programme2         = '''[[Large Strategic Science Missions]]'''<br/><small>''Astrophysics Division''</small>
}}

The '''Hubble Space Telescope''' ('''HST''' or '''Hubble''') is a [[space telescope]] that was launched into [[low Earth orbit]] in 1990 <!-- Full date, which shuttle, etc. is in infobox and later in the article. See discussions on talk page and its archives about omission of these details. --> and remains in operation. It was not the [[Orbiting Solar Observatory|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]]. The Hubble Space Telescope is named after astronomer [[Edwin Hubble]] and is one of [[NASA]]'s [[Great Observatories program|Great Observatories]]. The [[Space Telescope Science Institute]] (STScI) selects Hubble's targets and processes the resulting data, while the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]] (GSFC) controls the spacecraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/|title=Hubble Essentials |website=HubbleSite.org |publisher=[[Space Telescope Science Institute]] |access-date=March 3, 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194740/http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/ |url-status=dead |archivedate=March 3, 2016}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Hubble features a {{cvt|2.4|m}} mirror, and its five main instruments observe in the [[ultraviolet]], [[visible spectrum|visible]], and [[near-infrared]] regions of the [[electromagnetic spectrum]]. Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of [[atmosphere of Earth|Earth's atmosphere]] allows it to capture extremely high-resolution images with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. It has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images, allowing a deep view into space. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in [[astrophysics]], such as [[Hubble's law#Measurements of the Hubble constant|determining the rate of expansion of the universe]].

The Hubble Space Telescope was funded and built in the 1970s by NASA with contributions from the [[European Space Agency]]. Its intended launch was in 1983, but the project was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the 1986 [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|''Challenger'' disaster]]. Hubble was launched on [[STS-31]] in 1990, but its main mirror had been ground incorrectly, resulting in [[spherical aberration]] that compromised the telescope's capabilities. The optics were corrected to their intended quality by a servicing mission, [[STS-61]], in 1993.

Hubble is the only telescope designed to be maintained in space by astronauts. Five Space Shuttle missions repaired, upgraded, and replaced systems on the telescope, including all five of the main instruments. The [[STS-125|fifth mission]] was initially canceled on safety grounds following the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' disaster]] (2003), but after [[Administrator of NASA|NASA administrator]] [[Michael D. Griffin]] approved it, the servicing mission was completed in 2009. Hubble completed 30 years of operation in April 2020<ref name="hubb-site-30-anniv">{{cite web |title=Hubble Marks 30 Years in Space with Tapestry of Blazing Starbirth |url=https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2020/news-2020-16 |website=HubbleSite.org |publisher=[[Space Telescope Science Institute]] |access-date=April 24, 2020 |date=April 24, 2020 |archive-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510090820/https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2020/news-2020-16 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is predicted to last until 2030 to 2040.<ref name="cbsnews20130530"/>

Hubble is the visible light telescope in NASA's [[Great Observatories program]]; other parts of the spectrum are covered by the [[Compton Gamma Ray Observatory]], the [[Chandra X-ray Observatory]], and the [[Spitzer Space Telescope]] (which covers the infrared bands).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_NASA_Great_Observatories_PS.html|title=NASA's Great Observatories|publisher=NASA|last=Canright|first=Shelley|access-date=April 26, 2008|archive-date=June 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620021510/http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_NASA_Great_Observatories_PS.html|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
The mid-IR-to-visible band successor to the Hubble telescope is the [[James Webb Space Telescope]] (JWST), which was launched on December 25, 2021, with the [[Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope]] due to follow in 2027.<ref name="NASA-20200716">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-james-webb-space-telescope-target-launch-date|title=NASA Announces New James Webb Space Telescope Target Launch Date|publisher=NASA|date=July 16, 2020|access-date=September 10, 2020|archive-date=July 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718004251/https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-new-james-webb-space-telescope-target-launch-date/|url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20200716">{{cite news|last=Overbye|first=Dennis|author-link=Dennis Overbye|title=NASA Delays James Webb Telescope Launch Date, Again – The universe will have to wait a little longer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/science/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-delay.html|date=July 16, 2020|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 17, 2020|archive-date=December 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214204224/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/science/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-delay.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=September 9, 2021|title=Hubble successor given mid-December launch date|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58498676|access-date=September 10, 2021|website=BBC News|archive-date=September 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909135351/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58498676|url-status=live}}</ref>