The shuttle mission that replaced Hubble’s solar arrays in 1993 was STS-61. Flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour, it was Hubble’s first servicing mission and launched from Kennedy Space Center on 2 December 1993.
The mission replaced both of Hubble’s original solar arrays. The arrays, supplied by the European Space Agency, had developed problems including thermal distortion and wobbling as the telescope repeatedly moved between sunlight and darkness. These vibrations made it harder for Hubble to point precisely at astronomical targets.
During the second spacewalk, astronauts Kathryn Thornton and Thomas Akers removed the old arrays and installed new ones. One damaged array was released into space, while the other was folded and returned to Earth. The crew also replaced solar-array drive electronics, gyroscopes, fuses, and other hardware.
STS-61 is best known for restoring Hubble’s blurry vision. Astronauts installed the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement, or COSTAR, and the second-generation Wide Field and Planetary Camera. The optical correction compensated for the flaw in Hubble’s primary mirror, turning a troubled mission into a landmark rescue.