Which rocket launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit in 1990?

Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit during mission STS-31 on April 24, 1990. Discovery carried the telescope inside its payload bay and released it above Earth.

The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The five-person crew deployed Hubble at an altitude of roughly 600 kilometres, allowing the observatory to begin its work above most of Earth’s atmosphere.

Hubble later revealed that its primary mirror had a polishing flaw. Astronauts corrected the problem during the first servicing mission, STS-61, in 1993, installing corrective optics and upgraded instruments.

Hubble is therefore linked to both Discovery’s launch and later shuttle servicing flights. Discovery deployed the telescope; it did not repair the original mirror during STS-31.