expensive to build than ground-based telescopes. Due to their location, space telescopes are also extremely difficult to maintain. The Hubble Space Telescope was serviced by the Space Shuttle, but most space telescopes cannot be serviced at all. Future of space observatories Satellites have been launched and operated by NASA, ISRO, ESA, CNSA, JAXA and the Soviet space program (later succeeded by Roscosmos of Russia). As of 2022, many space observatories have already completed their missions, while others continue operating on extended time. However, the future availability of space telescopes and observatories depends on timely and sufficient funding. While future space observatories are planned by NASA, JAXA and the CNSA, scientists fear that there would be gaps in coverage that would not be covered immediately by future projects and this would affect research in fundamental science. For example, there was a fear that there would be a gap in coverage between the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). On 16 January 2023, NASA announced preliminary considerations of several future space telescope programs, including the Great Observatory Technology Maturation Program (GOMAP), Habitable Worlds Observatory and New Great Observatories. List of space telescopes See also Airborne observatory Earth observation satellite List of telescope types Observatory Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes Timeline of telescopes, observatories, and observing technology Ultraviolet astronomy X-ray astronomy satellite References Further reading Neil English: Space Telescopes - Capturing the Rays of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. Springer, Cham 2017, . External links · American inventions Astronomical observatories Telescope types Uncrewed spacecraft