Aeolus – formerly known as the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission (ADM) – is a 1,400-Kilogram satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space and outfitted with an experimental payload capable of measuring three-dimensional wind fields to demonstrate a potentially ground-breaking technique for measuring atmospheric dynamics and so improve weather forecasting and climate research. The Aeolus mission looks back at an extraordinarily long road to launch with an initial launch target of 2007.

The Aeolus spacecraft is fitted with an Active Doppler Lidar – pulsing lasers into Earth’s discernible atmosphere and measuring the Doppler shift in the in the return signal, backscattered light intensity from different atmospheric layers to be able to create altitude-dependent wind profiles. The primary payload of the satellite is known as Aladin (Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument) – combining a direct detection lidar with a fringe-imaging receiver and double-edge receiver.

Mission Resources:

🚀 Launch Vehicle Overview: Vega

⏰ Countdown Timeline

☂ Launch Weather

📍 Launch Site Schedule