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Earlier this month, the Space Telescope Science Institute's 2024 Annual Report went live. We invite you to explore the content, which includes immersive Q&As. The institute’s annual report not only reflects the work and milestones our staff reached, it is also an important reminder of how 850-plus community members contribute their talents and expertise to help STScI remain steadfast in its service to both astronomers and the public.

In 2024, engineers and scientists collaboratively supported ongoing telescope missions: identifying innovative ways to continue the Hubble Space Telescope’s high degree of science productivity, and improving the James Webb Space Telescope’s efficiency, which as a result led to more time for science. Our passionate outreach staff brought the latest news and findings by these telescopes to everyone through a variety of forms, including news releases, visualizations, and public events.

Staff also continued to advance and mature the supportive infrastructure of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is on target for launch in late 2026. Throughout the year, team members further developed the Roman Research Nexus, the mission’s cloud-based science platform, and solicited feedback from future users.

Access for all remained the steady “North Star” for our staff who support the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. Beyond adding more data to the cloud-based archive, the team developed new tools and updated existing resources to increase accessibility for users. This included a new release of the Guide Star Catalog, which Hubble and Webb rely on to “lock onto” their targets.

As excitement for the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory continues to grow, staff in STScI’s Russell B. Makidon Optics Lab shared how they pushed the limits of their current testbed, and what steps they are taking for the future.

Our annual report also explores some of the themes and trends across articles published by STScI staff, a roundup of the top Hubble and Webb 2024 news stories, and this year’s poster, which features a collection of stats and captivating space images.