Building on the remarkable success of the Earth Explorer Aeolus wind mission, the European Space Agency has given Airbus Defence and Space in the UK the authorisation to proceed to begin the development of Aeolus’ successor, Aeolus-2 – which is set to be built to enhance operational weather forecasts.

International regulations on space debris mitigation set a limit on how long a satellite should linger in orbit once its mission is complete – it mustn’t be longer than 25 ...

Surpassing scientific expectations and exceeding its planned life in orbit, the Aeolus wind mission has been hailed as one of ESA’s most successful Earth observation missions. And now, its end will go down in history too, thanks to the ingenuity of the Agency’s mission control team who guided this remarkable satellite down to Earth’s atmosphere for a safe reentry.

No two missions are the same but launches have many milestones and features in common with each other: a satellite or spacecraft is launched on a gravity-defying rocket into space, ...

Final images of Aeolus during its brief phase as space debris

Right on track: Aeolus reentry map

Preparing Aeolus's assisted reentry

Aeolus control team wraps up successful reentry operations

Launched on 22 August 2018, Aeolus was the first satellite mission to acquire profiles of Earth’s wind on a global scale. Delivered in near-realtime, these observations improved the accuracy of numerical weather. They also advanced our understanding of tropical dynamics and processes relevant to climate variability.Its pioneering laser technology took many years to develop, but despite numerous challenges, this trailblazing satellite mission surpassed its planned life in orbit and exceeded scientific expectations.Aeolus has been hailed as one of ESA’s most successful Earth observation missions. The mission ended on 28 July 2023.

Launched: 22 August 2018 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French GuianaLauncher: VegaSatellite: cubic platform and cylindrical instrument structure, weighing 1360 kg (including 266 kg fuel)Instrument: direct detection Doppler wind lidar, ...

Highlighted by the World Meteorological Organization, the lack of direct global wind measurements is one of the major deficits in the Global Observing System. This lack of measurements limits our understanding and the prediction of weather and climate. Aeolus demonstrated that its novel laser technology could play a key role in the quest to better understand the workings of our atmosphere, and improve weather forecasting.

Like all of ESA’s Earth Explorer missions, Aeolus responded to one of the most urgent Earth-science questions of our time. This novel mission was designed to address the lack of global wind profiles in the Global Observing System.