ESA says Aeolus delivered the first high-resolution vertical wind profiles from space.
Aeolus-2 will carry a Doppler wind lidar with ultraviolet lasers similar to the instrument aboard the original Aeolus spacecraft.
El primer Aeolus mejoró en un 4 % la precisión y fiabilidad de los modelos globales de predicción meteorológica.
Aeolus-2 sucederá al primer satélite Aeolus de Airbus, lanzado en 2018 y operativo hasta 2023.
Aeolus-2 estará equipado con un lidar Doppler con láser ultravioleta más sofisticado que el del primer Aeolus.
Aeolus-1 performed the first assisted reentry of its kind in 2023 by using remaining propellant to lower its orbit for controlled atmospheric destruction.
Airbus teams in the United Kingdom will contribute their experience from Aeolus-1 to the development of Aeolus-2.
EUMETSAT’s Aeolus-2 programme is called EPS-Aeolus within the organization.
Aeolus-2 is the successor to Aeolus-1, which was developed under the ESA Earth Explorer programme.
Aeolus-1 data have been progressively integrated into systems at the Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
Researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley will design, build, and integrate the Aeolus payload.
NASA will use Aeolus data to inform entry, descent, and landing systems for future crewed Mars missions.
NASA will send the Aeolus atmospheric instrument suite to Mars aboard a Relativity Space spacecraft.
NASA and Relativity Space formed a public-private partnership for the Aeolus Mars mission.
NASA will support Aeolus science instrument operations for at least one Martian year, or roughly 687 Earth days.
NASA and Relativity Space will send the NASA-built Aeolus atmospheric instrument suite to Mars under a public-private partnership announced on June 17, 2026.
NASA’s Aeolus agreement is its first six-year reimbursable Space Act Agreement.
The Aeolus suite is designed to provide the first integrated, daily, global view of the Martian atmosphere.
The Aeolus suite includes the Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder (DWTS-Ozone), the Thermal Limb Sounder (TLS), the Surface Radiometric Sensor Package (SuRSeP), and the Wide-Field Context Camera (WFCC).
Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley will design, build, and integrate the Aeolus payload.