Explore Space Telescopes through the missions, discoveries, rivalries and collaborations that expanded humanity's reach beyond Earth. This timeline links each milestone to the wider story of science, engineering, politics and exploration, from early experiments to robotic missions, crewed flight and commercial spaceflight. It shows how ambition and innovation reshaped our understanding of the Solar System and the universe.
A New Window into the Cosmos On 12 December 1970, the launch of Uhuru fundamentally altered the trajectory of modern astrophysics. As the first satellite specifically engineered for the purpose of X-ray astronomy, its de...
View itemA New Window into the Universe The launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) on 25 January 1983 represented a pivotal shift in how astronomers observed the cosmos. Before this mission, the majority of astronom...
View itemA New Eye on the Universe The deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope on 24 April 1990, carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-31 mission, represents a pivotal moment in the history of space ex...
View itemA New Window into the High-Energy Universe The launch of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory on 5 April 1991 represented a sophisticated leap in humanity's ability to perceive the cosmos. By placing a dedicated instrument...
View itemA New Perspective on the High-Energy Universe The launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory on 23 July 1999 represented a pivotal advancement in the field of space-based astronomy. By placing a sophisticated instrument cap...
View itemA New Era of Cosmic Observation On 30 June 2001, NASA launched the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) to undertake a mission of unprecedented precision in the field of cosmology. The primary objective of this so...
View itemThe Final Great Observatory The launch of the Spitzer Space Telescope on 25 August 2003 represented the completion of a grand vision for space-based astronomy. As the fourth and final component of NASA’s Great Observator...
View itemA New Era of Exoplanetary Discovery The launch of the Kepler space telescope on 7 March 2009 heralded a transformative shift in how humanity surveys the cosmos. By deploying a dedicated instrument designed specifically t...
View itemA New Window into the Early Universe On 14 May 2009, the European Space Agency launched the Planck mission, a sophisticated observatory designed to peer back to the very dawn of time. By focusing its instruments on the c...
View itemA New Eye on the Infrared Sky On 14 December 2009, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer , commonly known as WISE , began its journey into orbit. This mission was designed to conduct an exhaustive survey of the entire...
View itemA New Map of the Galaxy On 19 December 2013, the European Space Agency successfully launched the Gaia mission, setting in motion a project of immense scientific ambition. Designed to chart the Milky Way with a level of p...
View itemThe Launch of TESS On 18 April 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, commonly known as TESS , was launched into space to begin its ambitious mission of mapping the heavens. This deployment represented a shift...
View itemA New Era of Observational Astronomy The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on 25 December 2021 represents a profound leap in humanity’s capacity to observe the cosmos. By positioning a sophisticated infrared obser...
View itemThe Dawn of a New Era in Infrared Astronomy Following a complex sequence of launch, deployment, and rigorous in-orbit commissioning, the James Webb Space Telescope officially commenced its routine science operations on 1...
View itemA New Eye on the Dark Universe On 1 July 2023, the European Space Agency successfully launched the Euclid space telescope, initiating a mission of unprecedented scope aimed at unravelling the most elusive components of o...
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