Power supply Hubble's solar arrays collect sunlight, which is converted into electricity. Rechargeable batteries supply back-up power when Hubble is in Earth's shadow. Communications equipment Steerable antennas send scientific data to communications satellites for relay to ground systems. Data are stored on solid state recorders. Control system Reaction wheels point Hubble to any spot in the sky. When these wheels turn one way, Hubble turns the other. Fine guidance sensors keep Hubble locked onto its target.

Hubble is a telescope, but it is also a spacecraft — an object designed to operate in space. For this it needs a power supply, communications equipment, and a control system.

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