Hubble Space Telescope Fast Facts

The Hubble Space Telescope explores the universe from Earth orbit. This vantage point allows it to obtain a view of cosmic objects unobstructed by Earth's atmosphere, which can distort light and block certain wavelengths.  

NASA named Hubble after American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889–1953). Hubble confirmed an "expanding" universe, which provided the foundation for the Big Bang theory.

Mission

  • Launch: April 24, 1990, from Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31)
  • Deployment: April 25, 1990
  • First Image: May 20, 1990: Star cluster NGC 3532
  • Servicing Mission 1 (STS-61): December 1993
  • Servicing Mission 2 (STS-82): February 1997
  • Servicing Mission 3A (STS-103): December 1999
  • Servicing Mission 3B (STS-109): February 2002
  • Servicing Mission 4 (STS-125): May 2009
Size
  • Length: 43.5 feet (13.3 m)
  • Weight (at launch): about 24,000 pounds (10,800 kg)
  • Weight (post-SM4): about 27,000 pounds (12,200 kg)
  • Diameter (at widest point): 14 feet (4.3 m)
Spaceflight Statistics
  • ​Low Earth Orbit: altitude of 340 miles (295 nautical miles, or 547 km), inclined 28.5 degrees to the equator
  • Time to Complete One Orbit: about 95 minutes
  • Speed: about 17,000 mph (27,000 kph)
Optical Capabilities
  • Sensitivity to Light: ultraviolet through infrared (115–2500 nanometers)
Hubble's Mirrors

  • Primary Mirror Diameter: 94.5 inches (2.4 m)
  • Primary Mirror Weight: 1,825 pounds (828 kg)
  • Composition: Ultra-Low Expansion Glass
  • Reflective Coating: 4-millionths (0.000004) of an inch (0.1 μm) of aluminum under 1-millionth (0.000001) of an inch (0.025 μm) of magnesium fluoride
  • Secondary Mirror Diameter: 12.2 inches (0.3 m)
  • Secondary Mirror Weight: 27.4 pounds (12.4 kg)

Pointing Control

  • Actuators: four reaction wheels and four magnetic torquer bars
  • Sensors: six gyroscopes, five Sun sensors, two magnetometers, three fixed-head star trackers, three fine guidance sensors
  • Accuracy: In order to take images of distant, faint objects, Hubble must be extremely steady and accurate. The telescope is able to lock onto a target without deviating more than 7-thousandths (0.007) of an arcsecond, equivalent to shining a laser on a human hair one mile away
 Data Statistics
  • Hubble transmits about 150 gigabits of raw science data every week.

Power Needs

  • Energy Source: the Sun
  • Mechanism: two 8 x 24.75-foot (2.44 x 7.54-meter) gallium-arsenide solar panels
  • Power Generation (in sunlight): about 5,500 watts​

Power Storage

  • Batteries: six nickel-hydrogen (NiH)
  • Storage Capacity: equal to about 22 average car batteries
Instruments
  • Wide Field Camera 3
  • Advanced Camera for Surveys
  • Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
  • Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph
  • Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer
  • Fine Guidance Sensors

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