The Hubble Space Telescope, on its mission to explore the vast universe, has been operational for 31.7 years, providing valuable scientific insights.
The Hubble Space Telescope operating above Earth’s atmosphere. (Photo: NASA)
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space on April 24, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The following day, it began its mission in orbit, exploring the vast universe, including galaxies, supernovae, nebulae, and distant exoplanets. On January 1, 2022, this renowned telescope officially reached the milestone of one billion seconds in space, equivalent to 31.7 years.
“For over three decades, Hubble has provided us with groundbreaking scientific discoveries and many iconic images of the universe,” NASA announced.
The Hubble Telescope is a collaborative mission between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). From 1993 to 2009, astronauts visited Hubble five times using spacecraft launched under the Space Shuttle program. These visits aimed to repair, upgrade, and replace systems on the telescope, such as batteries, gyroscopes, and various scientific instruments.
Operating high above Earth’s atmosphere, Hubble has conducted over 1.5 million observations in more than 30 years of service. Thousands of scientific studies have been published based on the discoveries made by this telescope, according to NASA.
Some of Hubble’s most notable achievements include helping to determine the age of the universe (approximately 13.8 billion years, three times the age of Earth) and the rate of cosmic expansion, discovering the fifth moon of Pluto, finding supermassive black holes at the centers of the largest galaxies, studying the effects of gravitational lensing—which has helped astronomers map the distribution of dark matter in the universe—and capturing some of the most spectacular deep field images (observing a specific region of the sky for an extended period) of the cosmos.
“We can only imagine the discoveries that the next billion seconds will bring as new telescopes like the James Webb (launched on December 25, 2021) and Nancy Grace Roman (yet to be launched) continue to build on Hubble’s discoveries and work alongside Hubble to expand our knowledge of the universe,” NASA stated in the announcement.
