WSO-UV Space Mission: The State of Art

Abstract

UV-astronomy is a very demanded branch of space astronomy. Many dozens of short-term UVexperiments in space as well as long-term observatories in last decades have brought fundamental data for the understanding of the physics and chemistry of the Universe. Unfortunately no large UV observatories are planned by the major space agencies to be launched in the coming 10-15 years, unless the ROSCOSMOS led WSO-UV mission. In this article, we briefly describe the current status of the field and the role to be played by the WSO-UV. WSO-UV was described in previous publications in many details, that is why only a basic information and current state of the project are briefly presented in this paper. A brief overview of major science topics that have been included in the Core Program of the WSO-UV is presented. Attention is focused on the most recent research in these directions. We conclude that the Core Program of the WSO-UV will open new frontiers is astrophysical research in fields as demanding as exoplanetary research or the chemical evolution of the Universe.