The WSO-UV telescope is planned to be launched by a Zenit-2SB medium-class launcher equipped with a Fregat accelerating module.  The telescope will use the navigation platform. All launch facilities will be provided by Russia. The observatory is expected to operate for about 10 years.

 The orbit of WSO-UV has been optimized for:

• minimizing the geocoronal contribution to the UV background (especially Lyman-alpha and OI emission)
• allowing efficient monitoring on time scales from hours to days of astrophysical sources (transiting planets, active stars, quasars...)
• optimizing the coverage from the tracking stations in Spain and Russia

WSO-UV orbit is geosynchronous, with an inclination of 51.8 degrees and ascending node over the meridian of the Canary Islands (Spain) to guarantee visibility for, at least, 20 hours/day. Additional criteria taken into account for the orbit selection are: time of stay in the Earth radiation belts, continuous visibility zones (when two or three ground stations are working), minimum stay in the Earth shadow, stability of the orbit and the characteristics of the available technical equipment of the space and ground segments for radio communication. The trace of the WSO-UV orbit is plotted below.

The telescope is planned to be launched by a Zenit-2SB medium-class launcher equipped with a Fregat accelerating module. WSO-UV will be launched from the Russian facilities in Baikonur.

WSO-UV uses the NAVIGATOR platform that is designed as a unified unit for several missions. The
first two launches of missions with this platform are planned before the WSO-UV launch (Russian missions SPECTRUM-R and ELECTRO). The main characteristics of the platform are: