After one year orbiting around the 2nd Earth-Sun Lagrange point the data delivered by the WMAP observatory allow us to reconstruct full-sky maps in five frequency bands (23 to 94 GHz). Using these multifrequency data the cosmic microwave background (CMB) can can be separated from the foreground signals. With 45 time the sensitivity and 33 times the angular resolutions of the COBE mission, WMAP vastly extends our knowledge of cosmology and allows us to probe the physics of the photon-baryon fluid at recombination and explore the time of early star formation. The cosmological parameters determined by the WMAP mission are consistent with other CMB experiments and with large scale structure measurements and together they portray a lambda-dominated universe seeded by nearly-scale-invariant adiabatic Gaussian fluctuations. These and other aspects of the mission will be discussed.