The World Space Observatory - Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) is an international space telescope that will be launched in 2015, to guarantee observatory-type access in the ultraviolet (UV) range to astronomers after the end of the Hubble Space Telescope mission.

The WSO-UV is a multipurpose observatory consisting of a 1.7 m-aperture telescope and three instruments for high-resolution spectroscopy, long-slit low-resolution spectroscopy, and deep UV and optical imaging. The WSO-UV mission will last for five years with a planned extension of five years more.

The WSO-UV will provide observations of exceptional importance for the study of several astrophysical problems. The mission has six key scientific objectives:

• The study of galaxy formation and the chemical evolution of the Universe, covering the last 80% of its lifetime (0< z < 2).
• The measurement of the properties of diffuse matter in the Universe and its distribution in galactic haloes.
• The formation and evolution of the Milky Way.
• The role of discs in astronomical engines.
• The chemical composition and properties of the atmospheres of giant extrasolar planets.
• The study of astrochemical processes in UV irradiated environments.
  
  

The mission is run by an international consortium led by Russia and also involving Spain, Germany, China and Ukraine. This is the Spanish site of the project.

The Spanish participation is funded by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce (industrial activities) and the Ministry of Science and Innovation  (scientific activities) through the Spanish Space Plan. The Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) is the scientific responsible of the Spanish participation in the project. Shared mission and science operations between Russia and Spain are foreseen during the WSO-UV mission lifetime. UCM hosts the Spanish science and mission operations center for the ground segment of the WSO-UV.