Hubble Astronauts
Astronaut Missions
At 30 years and counting, the Hubble Space Telescope has operated for more than twice its original estimated lifespan. The five servicing missions that replaced, fixed, and upgraded instruments and components were a major part of this success. Without each of these crews, Hubble would not have been able to continue its exploration of the cosmos.
![Space Shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member STS-125 crew launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on May 11, 2009](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hubble-astronaut-missions-atlantislaunch-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Deployment
On April 24, 1990, the space shuttle Discovery lifted off from Earth with the Hubble Space Telescope nestled securely in its bay. The following day, the crew released Hubble into orbit, ready to peer into the vast unknown of space.
Learn More![Five astronauts--four men and one woman--stand in a line in front of a starry backdrop, all wearing light blue T-shirts and white pants.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/missions-deploy-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Meet the Hubble Deployment Astronauts
Servicing Mission 1 (SM1)
SM1 (which took place in December of 1993) was the first opportunity to conduct planned maintenance on the telescope. Astronauts installed new instruments, including equipment adjusted to correct for the flaw in Hubble's primary mirror.
Learn More![Seven astronauts wear blue T-shirts: three men standing in the back row, and three men and one woman sitting at the table in the front row. On either side of them are US and ESA flags, and models of the space shuttle and the Hubble telescope.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/missions-sm1-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Meet the Hubble SM1 Astronauts
Servicing Mission 2 (SM2)
During SM2 (February 1997), astronauts installed new instruments that extended Hubble's wavelength range into the near-infrared, allowing scientists to probe the most distant reaches of the universe. They also replaced failed or degraded spacecraft components to increase efficiency and performance.
Learn More![Seven astronauts wear blue T-shirts and white pants; four men stand in the back row, and three sit at at able in the front row. On the far left is a US flag, and on the right is a model of Hubble.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/missions-sm2-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Meet the Hubble SM2 Astronauts
Servicing Mission 3A (SM3A)
Originally planned as a maintenance mission, SM3 became more urgent with the failure of the fourth of Hubble's six gyroscopes, which stabilize the telescope. NASA split the third servicing mission into two parts to bring Hubble back into operation more quickly. In SM3A (December 1999), astronauts replaced all six gyros and installed a more powerful computer, a new transmitter, new insulation, and other equipment.
Learn More![Seven astronauts in orange space suits stand in a line. A spiral galaxy hovers above their heads in the backdrop.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/missions-sm3a-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Meet the Hubble SM3A Astronauts
Servicing Mission 3B (SM3B)
During SM3B (March 2002), astronauts replaced Hubble's solar panels and installed the Advanced Camera for Surveys, which took the place of the Faint Object Camera, Hubble's last original instrument.
Learn More![Seven astronauts in orange space suits stand in a line. The dusty arm of a spiral galaxy disc hovers above their heads in the backdrop.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/missions-sm3b-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Meet the Hubble SM3B Astronauts
Servicing Mission 4 (SM4)
Hubble was reborn with SM4 (May 2009), in which astronauts installed two new scientific instruments and brought two more failed ones back to life by the first-ever on-orbit instrument repairs. They also further extended Hubble's life with new batteries, new gyros, and a new science computer. In addition, a device was attached to the base of the telescope to facilitate de-orbiting when the telescope can no longer perform science.
Learn More![Seven astronauts--six men and one woman--stand in a line in orange astronaut suits, a few of them holding their helmets, with an image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field in the background.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/missions-sm4-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Meet the Hubble SM4 Astronauts
Hubble Space Shuttle Missions
View some of the most interesting and famous photos of the Hubble servicing missions.