UVEX

Ultraviolet Explorer
UVEX spacecraft render
Mission typeUltraviolet astronomy
OperatorNASA / Goddard, Caltech
Websitehttps://www.uvex.caltech.edu/
Mission duration2 years (planned)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date2030 (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeHighly elliptical orbit[2]: 4 
Perigee altitude104,000 km (65,000 mi)[2]: 4 
Apogee altitude396,000 km (246,000 mi)
Period13.7 days
Main telescope
TypeThree-mirror anastigmat[2]: 4 
Diameter75 cm (30 in)
Focal lengthf/2.7
Wavelengths
Resolution
Instruments
Ultraviolet telescope

The Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) is an upcoming wide-field ultraviolet space telescope from NASA scheduled to launch in 2030.[1] UVEX will build off of previous ultraviolet space telescopes, specifically GALEX, conducting surveys of the entire sky in both near- and far-ultraviolet light. UVEX will study the evolution of low-metallicity stars and how they affect the evolution of low-metallicity and low-mass galaxies. The probe can also be used for quick-turnaround observation of cosmic events, such as merging stars. UVEX's data will be able to complement other all-sky survey programs in different wavelengths of light, notably those by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Roman Space Telescope, and Euclid. Compared to earlier ultraviolet space telescopes, UVEX will feature more capable instrumentation and a larger mirror, enabling it to obtain higher-resolution data and observe fainter objects.[2][page needed]

  1. ^ a b c "About UVEX". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Kulkarni, S. R.; et al. (19 January 2023). "Science with the Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX)". arXiv:2111.15608 [astro-ph.GA]. {{cite arXiv}}: Unknown parameter |publication-date= ignored (help)