UVEX

UVEX is a new NASA Medium Explorer mission to explore the ultraviolet sky, with an expected launch date in 2030. With a wide-field, two-band ultraviolet imager and long, multi-width slit spectrometer, UVEX is equipped to address key scientific themes identified in Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy & Astrophysics for the 2020s (Astro2020).

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Science Pillars

UVEX will address outstanding questions in our understanding of the Universe, including the nature of the low-mass, low-metallicity galaxy population and the early ultraviolet emission of explosive transients. UVEX will also leave a rich legacy of all-sky ultraviolet data.

The Low-Mass, Low-Metallicity Galaxy Frontier

UVEX will identify low-mass, low-metallicity galaxies in the nearby Universe, diagnose the nebular emission of analogs to high-redshift galaxies, and study hot stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, our neighboring low-metallicity laboratories.

New Views of the Dynamic Universe

UVEX will probe the short-lived UV emission from merging neutron stars, perform spectral follow-up of the first hours of core collapse supernovae, and provide a community resource for target-of-opportunity observations.

A Legacy of Deep, Synoptic All-Sky Data

By performing a cadenced all-sky survey 50–100x more sensitive than GALEX, UVEX will generate a wealth of photometric and spectroscopic data, opening vast discovery space for the future, with depth and resolution matching modern optical and infrared surveys.