Hubble Space Telescope Celebrates 36th Anniversary of Launch

April 24, 2026 marks the 36th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope aboard Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31) from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center — the same pad used by all Artemis SLS missions. Over 36 years and more than 1.6 million observations of over 53,000 celestial objects, Hubble has underpinned more than 19,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications. NASA and ESA traditionally release a commemorative deep-space image to mark the milestone. The anniversary falls against the backdrop of the proposed FY2027 NASA budget, which calls for a 47% cut to the Science Mission Directorate — the deepest proposed reduction to NASA science in modern history. The Planetary Society, American Astronomical Society, and Hubble science teams have all registered opposition, arguing that gutting NASA science while celebrating Artemis II's crewed lunar flyby success sends contradictory signals about the full scope of U.S. space leadership. Hubble continues to operate in tandem with the James Webb Space Telescope, providing complementary ultraviolet and optical coverage that JWST cannot replicate.