You know what costs even less? Building a larger fairing. Atlas V has different fairing sizes for different payload types as well. Sure, a bigger fairing will

You know what costs even less? Building a larger fairing. Atlas V has different fairing sizes for different payload types as well. Sure, a bigger fairing will simplify a space telescope, but you still need to fold it and the bulk of the costs went into developing instruments and the mirror. There's nothing "simple" about a state-of-the-art scientific instrument. If you want Hubble 2.0, NASA has two of them just lying around for over a decade now; gifted to them by the NRO. You know how much converting them to useful scientific instruments costs? According to the latest report, it's about $3.2 billion so please give me a break with your "simpler and cheaper because fairing".