When Was The Hubble Telescope Launched Into Space

When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space, it had already been met with its own unique set of challenges and setbacks. From its original conception in 1946 to when it would eventually be launched into space, the Hubble Space Telescope was destined to make history.

In 1977, Congress voted unanimously to fund the building of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the unit began. It was completed in 1981 with the final polishing of the mirrors and a launch date was set for October of 1984. The company responsible for the mirrors was performing questionable work and NASA had lost its confidence in them. However, they continued to allow the work to progress and because they wouldn’t approve the device completely, launch was once again set back to April of 1985.

After gaining final approval from NASA, the Hubble Space Telescope was finally ready to be put into space and a launch date was set for October of 1986. However, January of 1986 saw the space shuttle Challenger explode over the Earth and the space shuttle program was shut down for several years.

This is when supporters of the Hubble Space Telescope began to feel that their project would never be launched into space, but they held out hope. After all, this was a very important part of astronomical history and when the Hubble Space Telescope would finally be launched into space, it would be ground-breaking.

Shuttle flights resumed in 1988, and a launch was scheduled for 1990 as NASA struggled to catch up with projects that had been put on hold for two years. In preparation for its final launch, dust which had accumulated on the mirror since its completion had to be removed with jets of nitrogen, and all systems were tested extensively to ensure they were fully functional. Finally, on April 24, 1990, the space shuttle Discovery went into space with Hubble aboard and launched it successfully into its planned orbit.

When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space, it almost immediately began to show promise as one of the most valuable tools that would ever be used by astronomers. The cameras on board started capturing images of galaxies, nebulae, and planets that had never been seen before. It provided all types of information to researchers and continues to do so today even though many of its systems are showing considerable wear and even break down.

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