Name

Name Before Launch

Spectral Region

Year Launched

End-of-Life

Comments

Follow-On Mission

Web Reference

Hubble Space Telescope, HST

Large Space Telescope, LST

Visible, UV, and Near-IR

1990

Launched and serviced by Space Shuttle.

James Webb Space Telescope, JWST (IR and visible)

Hubble Homepage

Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, CGRO

Gamma Ray Observatory, GRO

Gamma Ray

1991

2000

Shuttle-launched

Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, formerly Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope, GLAST

NASA

Chandra X-Ray Observatory, CXO

Advanced X-Ray Astro-physics Facility, AXAF

X-Ray

1999

Shuttle-launched; extended delays due to cost of HST

Constellation-X provides greater sensitivity, but lower resolution

NASA

Spitzer Space Telescope, SST

Space Infrared Tele-scope Facility, SIRTF

Infrared

2003

Launched on Delta II

JWST observations will re-place SST in the near infrared

Spitzer Homepage