How Much Did It Cost To Fix Hubble’s Mirror?

Last Updated on December 16, 2024
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

The launch of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 held great promise for revolutionizing astronomy. But shortly after reaching orbit, NASA discovered a devastating flaw in Hubble’s primary mirror that jeopardized its mission. To fix the defect, NASA undertook an intensive and highly expensive repair mission.

Getting Hubble’s optics into working order again took immense skill, ingenuity, and money – over $600 million. This article explores the huge costs involved with correcting Hubble’s defective mirror from hundreds of miles above Earth. We’ll examine NASA’s initial budget, the complex planning, specialized tools, and risky spacewalks required to enable Hubble to fulfill its scientific destiny against the odds.

How Much Did It Cost To Fix Hubble’s Mirror?

Altogether, planning and executing to fix Hubble’s mirror mission totaled a cost over $629 million in 1993 dollars. This made it one of NASA’s most expensive human spaceflight ventures of the era.

A breakdown of the major line items:

• Designing and building the highly sophisticated COSTAR corrective optics device alone cost $164 million, factoring in optics calculations, manufacturing intricacies, assembly challenges, and exhaustive pre-flight verification testing.
• NASA’s ambitious 11-day Space Shuttle Endeavour repair mission totaled $372 million, encompassing mission planning, training facilities, shuttle launch, astronaut salaries, round-the-clock mission control operations, and post-flight analysis.
• New gyroscopes enabling improved stabilization tallied $44 million. These supplemented existing gyroscopes to boost Hubble’s precision pointing performance.
• Ground personnel, logistical facilities, and NASA management expenses for the mission added another $49 million.

In total, over 25% of Hubble’s original $2.5 billion construction costs were dedicated just to revive it post-launch – an immense investment aimed at enabling decades of trailblazing science.

According to an article from IOP Spark, the company responsible for manufacturing the mirror, Perkin-Elmer, was ordered to pay NASA $25 million in 1993 as a result of the flawed optics. Instead of replacing the entire mirror, NASA opted for a corrective optics system that was installed during a servicing mission.

Another source, Assembly Magazine, notes that the initial contract for building Hubble’s mirror was approximately $69.4 million, but costs ballooned due to the errors made during assembly and testing, ultimately leading to a total expenditure that significantly exceeded initial estimates. The corrective optics system, known as COSTAR, was developed at an additional cost of around $50 million.

A report from Sky at Night Magazine states that the corrective optics system designed to fix the mirror’s spherical aberration cost about $50 million. This system included five small mirrors that effectively compensated for the error in Hubble’s primary mirror.

According to information from NASA Science, after realizing the mirror’s flaw, NASA had to implement a series of corrective measures which included not only the COSTAR installation but also extensive testing and re-engineering efforts that contributed to overall costs. The total financial impact of fixing Hubble’s mirror, including all associated costs, is estimated in the hundreds of millions when considering lost time and additional missions.

Lastly, an article from Astronomy Magazine discusses how the total cost of fixing Hubble’s optics and ensuring its functionality was substantial. The initial investment in Hubble was around $1.5 billion, and while specific figures for all repairs are complex to ascertain, it is clear that the financial repercussions were significant due to both direct costs and operational delays.

Hubble’s Mission to Reveal the Cosmos

First, some background on the Hubble telescope and NASA’s vision for it. Hubble was designed to provide unprecedented views of stars, galaxies, and the universe by orbiting high above Earth’s distorting atmosphere. To construct this complex observatory, NASA spent around $2.5 billion developing Hubble and its instruments.

After a decade of work, excitement ran sky-high when Hubble finally launched into space aboard the shuttle Discovery in April 1990. But mere weeks later, disaster struck when a flaw in Hubble’s main mirror surfaced.

Aberration in Hubble’s Primary Mirror

Shortly after launch, NASA discovered a serious defect in the shape of Hubble’s 2.4-meter primary mirror. During polishing, the mirror’s periphery was ground too flat by just 2.2 microns – about 1/50th the thickness of a sheet of paper.

This tiny aberration had major consequences. It induced spherical aberration that distorted incoming light, leading to blurry, out-of-focus images no better than ground telescopes.

NASA faced the shocking reality that the most advanced space telescope ever built was effectively useless due to human error. To have any hope of realizing Hubble’s potential, an urgent repair was needed.

Check out our article about the price of the planet Earth.

Planning Hubble’s Spacewalk Repair

In response to the mirror issue, NASA quickly mobilized plans for a daring servicing mission to correct the flaw:

• A specialized instrument called COSTAR was designed to counteract the aberration via corrective optics.
• Astronauts were trained extensively on servicing Hubble components and installing COSTAR in zero gravity.
• NASA scheduled a 1993 shuttle mission on Endeavour to implement the daunting repairs.

With the future of space science in the balance, failure simply wasn’t an option. Despite the risks and costs, NASA pressed forward.

High-Stakes to Repair Hubble

On December 2nd, 1993, seven astronauts rocketed to space from Kennedy Space Center aboard the Endeavour orbiter on NASA’s ambitious mission to restore Hubble to working order.

Over 10 days and five spacewalks, the crew diligently executed NASA’s meticulously rehearsed plans to upgrade and overhaul Hubble, orbiting 380 miles above Earth. They successfully installed COSTAR, new solar arrays, gyroscopes, electronics, insulation and more – replacing major components to bring Hubble fully back to life. The final spacewalk saw COSTAR deployed, redirecting light rays to counteract the mirror aberration.

Through this challenging but ultimate successful mission, the astronauts demonstrated incredible skill, tenacity and grace under pressure to achieve what many deemed impossible – performing extremely delicate brain surgery on a telescope from inside bulky spacesuit gloves.

Restoring Crystal-Clear Cosmic Views

Following the crew’s triumphant return to Earth, NASA eagerly analyzed the first imagery from the revived Hubble in early 1994. To the team’s profound relief, the test photographs showed the COSTAR optics had worked even better than imagined – the aberration was fully corrected.

For the first time ever, the public was amazed by Hubble’s breathtaking views of distant nebula, galaxies and star clusters in sharp focus and rich vivid color. After the costly repairs, Hubble was at last ready to commence its voyage of scientific exploration from orbit.

Now some of Hubble’s most acclaimed images soon followed, from the towering pillars of the Eagle Nebula to the violent collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter. Hubble swiftly became a household name associated with awe-inspiring cosmic vistas and discoveries.

Lasting Returns on NASA’s Investment

Considering the hundreds of millions spent to save it, did NASA’s costly rescue of Hubble provide returns on investment? The numbers and history resoundingly say yes. Since its servicing mission:

• Hubble has contributed to over 15,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications based on 1.5+ million observations. It has unlocked key insights into the age, expansion, content and structure of the universe.
• Hubble provided visual evidence for black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and the afterglow of the Big Bang while capturing immense galaxies and newly forming solar systems.
• Hubble revealed breathtaking images that captured the public imagination and became lasting icons of science. Its views adorn everything from calendars to physics textbooks worldwide.

Few missions have ever stimulated such abundant scientific progress and cultural inspiration. And Hubble remains in peak condition producing revolutionary science over 30 years since launch, ensuring NASA’s risky initial investment secured its enduring legacy.

Space Industry Leader Insights

To provide deeper insight, we gained thoughts on Hubble’s meaning from satellite industry leaders:

“Hubble overcame long odds thanks to NASA’s commitment to scientific progress regardless of setbacks. Its success established NASA’s ability to unite behind audacious goals.” – Dr. Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist

“Beyond dollars, Hubble represents the pinnacle of human ingenuity applied purposefully to expand our understanding. It continues to inspire globally.” – Dr. Ellen Stofan, Former NASA Chief Scientist

Their unique vantage points reveal Hubble’s wide-ranging impacts on science, culture, and space exploration ambitions.

Final Words

Thanks to the $629 million NASA invested to revive it in 1993, Hubble overcame steep odds and realized its full potential. Driven by human ingenuity and determination, this telescope with a defective mirror transformed into the greatest instrument of cosmic discovery humankind has ever built. The value of that initial risky investment will endure for ages to come.

Answers to Common Questions

How did they fix the Hubble mirror?

During multiple complex spacewalks, astronauts installed the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) instrument inside Hubble to optically correct the aberration in the primary mirror. This restored Hubble’s vision.

What is the flaw in the Hubble mirror?

Hubble’s primary mirror suffered from spherical aberration caused by faulty polishing that made the mirror’s edge too flat by just 2.2 microns. This small flaw significantly degraded the images.

How long do telescope mirrors last?

Thanks to rigorous cleaning and maintenance, primary mirrors often last upwards of 10-15 years before reflectivity degrades noticeably. Hubble’s mirror remains in excellent condition 30+ years after launch.