Compare Space Telescopes

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Attribute	Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) NASA · 🇺🇸 Active · Last updated 2026-06-01 Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ Last verified 2026-06-01Remove ×
Agency	NASA
Status	Active
Wavelength band	x-ray
Launch year	1999
Orbit	Highly elliptical (perigee 10,000 km / apogee 140,000 km)
Mirror / aperture	1.2 mas of 1999-07-23^[1]Four pairs of nested grazing-incidence mirrors; effective aperture 0.04 m²
Mass	4,800 kgas of 1999-07-23^[1]Including HRMA mirror assembly
Wavelength range	0.1–10 keV (soft to medium X-ray)
Key missions	• First X-ray image of Sgr A* (Milky Way black hole) • Bullet Cluster (direct dark matter evidence) • Cas A supernova remnant detailed imaging • Over 25 years operational lifetime
Summary	NASA's flagship X-ray telescope and one of the Great Observatories. Chandra's angular resolution is 100× better than previous X-ray telescopes, enabling detailed imaging of supernovae remnants, galaxy clusters, and the region around supermassive black holes. Still operating after 25+ years despite being designed for a 5-year mission.

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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)+

NASA/ESA

Active

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope+

NASA/DOE/international

Active

TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite)+

NASA

Active

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)+

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman)+

NASA

In Development

Spitzer Space Telescope+

About this tool

All 9 major space telescopes with primary-source citations from NASA, ESA, STScI, and JPL. Pure URL state — bookmark or share the link and the comparison reproduces exactly.

📋 What changed recently

Jun 2026Updated Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launch estimate to Q2 2027 after schedule review.
Jun 2026Added Euclid DR2 data release reference and updated key discoveries entry.
May 2026Clarified Chandra cooling system status; updated TESS extended mission status to ongoing.

Attribute

Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO)

NASA · 🇺🇸

Active · Last updated 2026-06-01

Trust: Agency-primaryⓘ

Last verified 2026-06-01Remove ×

Agency

NASA

Status

Active

Wavelength band

x-ray

Launch year

1999

Orbit

Highly elliptical (perigee 10,000 km / apogee 140,000 km)

Mirror / aperture

1.2 mas of 1999-07-23^[1]Four pairs of nested grazing-incidence mirrors; effective aperture 0.04 m²

Mass

4,800 kgas of 1999-07-23^[1]Including HRMA mirror assembly

Wavelength range

0.1–10 keV (soft to medium X-ray)

Key missions

• First X-ray image of Sgr A* (Milky Way black hole)
• Bullet Cluster (direct dark matter evidence)
• Cas A supernova remnant detailed imaging
• Over 25 years operational lifetime

Summary

NASA's flagship X-ray telescope and one of the Great Observatories. Chandra's angular resolution is 100× better than previous X-ray telescopes, enabling detailed imaging of supernovae remnants, galaxy clusters, and the region around supermassive black holes. Still operating after 25+ years despite being designed for a 5-year mission.