Celebrating 31 years of the Hubble Space Telescope
In April 2021, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope will celebrate 31 years since its launch.
During the 1970s, NASA and ESA began planning for a space telescope that could transcend the blurring effects of the atmosphere and take clearer images of the Universe than ever before. In 1990 the idea finally became a reality and, despite a flaw in the main mirror which was quite swiftly corrected, Hubble has since far exceeded expectations.
It has delved deeper into the early years of the Universe than was ever thought possible, played a critical part in the discovery that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating and probed the atmospheres of planets around distant stars.
Each year, ESA/Hubble develops a series of engagement initiatives to involve the public in the celebrations of Hubble’s impact in engineering, science and culture. Project updates pertaining to Hubble’s 31st anniversary around April and May 2021 are posted below.
