Live: Launch of Aeolus

Aeolus, © ESA

Aladin’s magic lamp ready for take off: After 16 years of preparation and tough technical difficulties, Aeolus is finally ready to go for its final destination in low earth orbit. Weighing 1.4 tons, Aeolus carries the payload “Aladin”(Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument), which is based on the concept of LIDAR (Light detection and ranging), a method related to RADAR, but with laser beams for distance measuring instead of radio waves.

After getting online Aeolus will help improve weather forecasts and be of high importance for climate research, since through its new technology it will be possible to perform global wind measurements for the first time from the ground up to a height of 30 kilometers.

For the success of this mission, Tesat supplies several Reference Laser Units (RLU) and a subsystem.

We keep the fingers crossed that the launch will not have to be delayed a second time and the current window to be final, opening tomorrow night at 23:30 CEST.

More information about the Aeolus mission: https://earth.esa.int/web/guest/missions/esa-future-missions/aeolus

Image: ESA
© Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG, 2022
Contact
Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG
Gerberstr. 49
71522 Backnang
Germany