[djao]

Space telescopes cost billions of dollars not because of launch costs but because of all the dedicated engineering required to fit the telescope into the size and weight restrictions required for launch. In the past we've always been willing to go to extreme lengths to meet launch requirements (hand-made parts with exotic materials, folding mirrors with intricate deployment procedures, etc.).

If we instead design something to be mass-produced at a cost more commensurate with that of a Falcon 9 launch, then it may well be much better than Hubble in terms of bang for the buck, but it won't be as capable as Hubble in absolute terms. Even so, although Falcon 9 is very cost effective per unit weight compared to past rockets, it does not have a large payload volume compared to launch vehicles used for previous large space telescopes, and volume is usually what you need for space telescopes (because big mirrors are constrained by volume, not weight).

Once Starship becomes fully operational it will completely transform the landscape because it is not only low cost but the interior payload bay volume is much larger than existing rockets in all dimensions.