FACT CHECK #WFECSKFO

WHAT WE FOUND

The claim is accurate. NASA states that Hubble was launched April 24, 1990, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-31 mission 1, and NASA's history archive repeats the April 1990 launch date 2. Other sources agree: the ESA/Hubble fact sheet cites a 1990 launch on STS-31 into low-Earth orbit 6, and Kennedy Space Center gives April 24, 1990 as the launch date from Florida 7. CBS News 9, the American Physical Society 10, the IEEE Photonics Society 8, EBSCO 12, BBC 4 and Wikipedia 5 also give 1990. No source contradicts this. The launch was followed by the discovery of a flaw in the primary mirror 111, which does not affect the launch date.

SOURCES

1. 1 · science.nasa.govACADEMIC
   The History of Hubble

   TIER A

2. 2 · nasa.govACADEMIC
   April 1990 - Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Launched

   TIER A

3. 3 · research.arizona.eduACADEMIC
   Hubble Space Telescope Facts | Research and Partnerships

   TIER A

4. 4 · bbc.comNEWS
   Witness History | The launch of the Hubble Space Telescope

   TIER A

5. 5 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
   Hubble Space Telescope

   TIER B

6. 6 · esahubble.orgWEB
   Fact Sheet

   TIER B

7. 7 · kennedyspacecenter.comWEB
   30 Facts for 30 Years of Hubble

   TIER B

8. 8 · ieeephotonics.orgWEB
   Celebrating 35 Years of Discovery: The Hubble Space ...

   TIER B

9. 9 · cbsnews.comWEB
   From the archives: NASA launches Hubble Telescope in 1990

   TIER B

10. 10 · aps.orgWEB
    April 24, 1990: Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope

    TIER B

11. 11 · 19fortyfive.comWEB
    The Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990 with ...

    TIER B

12. 12 · ebsco.comWEB
    NASA Launches the Hubble Space Telescope | History

    TIER B

THE READING