NASA, Caltech Develop UVEX Ultraviolet Space Telescope
The $590 million UVEX mission is slated to launch in 2031 to map the sky in ultraviolet light.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Space
NASA is developing the UVEX space telescope in conjunction with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The mission will be the first to create deep all-sky maps in ultraviolet light.
Why it matters
Ultraviolet observations have been limited, with the Hubble Space Telescope capturing only two handfuls of spectra of transient events in their infancy. UVEX is designed to open up the ultraviolet universe for study.
UVEX uses Caltech-built CMOS imaging sensors to increase ultraviolet sensitivity, and its maneuverability allows it to observe explosive events shortly after they occur. The mission has a total cost of $590 million, though the extraction does not detail performance benchmarks against prior instruments.
The players
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the U.S. government agency responsible for civil space exploration and aeronautics research.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Caltech is a private research university in Pasadena, California, known for its strengths in physics, astronomy and engineering.
Fiona Harrison
Fiona Harrison is a Caltech physics professor who serves as principal investigator of the UVEX mission.
Ray Jayawardhana
Ray Jayawardhana is the president of Caltech, an astronomer who has led research and academic programs at the institute.
The details
UVEX will use the telescope's maneuverability to observe explosive events very shortly after they happen. Fiona Harrison, a Caltech physics professor, is the mission's principal investigator.
Timeline
Oct. 27: NASA and Caltech leaders issued statements about the UVEX mission.
2031: UVEX is scheduled to launch.
The Big Picture
UVEX follows Hubble's ultraviolet work, which captured only two handfuls of spectra of transient events in their infancy, and aims to make deep all-sky ultraviolet maps a routine capability. The mission is designed to tap an ultraviolet universe that has remained largely unexplored.
UVEX could eventually produce new data on neutron star collisions and the origin of heavy elements, which informs how scientists understand the composition of matter. Its detection of low-mass galaxies closer to the Milky Way than JWST has observed may refine models of galactic structure.
The takeaway
UVEX promises to fill a long-standing gap in astronomers' view of the ultraviolet sky, with new surveys expected to reveal stripped stars and neutron star mergers. Its 2031 launch will be a key milestone for the field.
Further reading
Explore more space news coverage tied to upcoming telescope missions.
