Which institute conducts Hubble's science operations?

The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble's science operations.

Located on Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus in Baltimore, Maryland, STScI operates Hubble for NASA through the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Its work covers the scientific side of the mission: selecting observing proposals, scheduling observations, supporting researchers, processing data, and distributing calibrated products to astronomers.

STScI also manages the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, which preserves Hubble observations and data from several other space missions. Its staff includes astronomers, engineers, software specialists, and science-communications experts. The institute was established in 1981, before Hubble launched in 1990.

A common mix-up is NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Goddard handles Hubble's flight operations, including spacecraft health and command functions, while STScI manages the scientific program and data workflow. NASA Headquarters oversees the agency, but it does not schedule individual Hubble observations.