HST
The Hubble Space Telescope has been observing the universe since 1990 from an orbit around 540 km above Earth. Free of the blurring effects of the atmosphere, it has delivered some of the most detailed images of distant galaxies, nebulae, and planets ever taken.
Orbital data
- NORAD ID
- 20580
- COSPAR ID
- 1990-037B
- Type
- Satellite
- Orbit
- LEO
- Perigee (lowest)
- 480 km
- Apogee (highest)
- 482 km
- Inclination
- 28.47°
- Orbital period
- 94 min
- Launch year
- 1990
- Operator
- United States
Orbital data from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours. Element epoch: 2026-06-02.
About LEO orbit
Low Earth Orbit. Up to 2,000 km altitude. Where most satellites live including the ISS (~420 km), Starlink (~550 km), and Earth observation. Orbital period roughly 90 minutes.
Frequently asked
Can you see Hubble from the ground?
Hubble can be visible to the naked eye as a faint moving point of light, but only from locations below about 28.5° latitude where its orbit carries it overhead. It is much fainter than the ISS.
Is Hubble still working?
Yes. Despite its age, Hubble remains operational and continues to return science data, working alongside the newer James Webb Space Telescope.
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