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Aeolus

retired
Earth ObservationLEOCOSPAR 2018-066ALaunched 8/22/2018
Admin Edit
Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
Aeolus Mission
Launch Vehicle
Vega
Launch Date
8/22/2018
Last Contact
7/28/2023
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
LEO
Altitude
315.5 km
Inclination
96.73 deg
Dry Mass
1,091 kg
Total Mass
1,357 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Earth Observation
Payload Category
EOSCI
Payload Class
C
Organizations
Operator
European Space Agency (ESA)
Manufacturer
Airbus
Registry
COSPAR ID
2018-066A
UN Registration
ST/SG/SER.E/871
Track
Mentions
91
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

Aeolus was launched in 2018 as an ESA Earth Explorer research mission to profile Earth’s winds.

PlanValue 3.5Aug 1, 2023ESA’s Trailblazing Aeolus Mission Comes to a Historic End

Aeolus was launched in 2018 on a mission that was originally planned to last three years to demonstrate a lidar’s ability to measure wind speeds globally.

Plan
Page4of5
Capability
Value 4.0
Jul 19, 2023
ESA preparing for “assisted reentry” of Aeolus spacecraft

KSAT processed, archived, and distributed Aeolus downloaded data and supported the delivery of well over 99% of Aeolus data to users in near-real time.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jul 11, 2023KSAT to support the historic assisted reentry of ESA’s Aeolus satellite

Since 2018, Aeolus satellite observations have been used to improve weather forecasts and climate models.

CapabilityGeneralValue 2.5Jul 5, 2023Teledyne e2v Space Imaging Celebrates the Success of its Sensors as ESA Decommissions Aeolus

Teledyne e2v Space Imaging designed and built sensors for the Aeolus satellite.

RelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.0Jul 5, 2023Teledyne e2v Space Imaging Celebrates the Success of its Sensors as ESA Decommissions Aeolus

The European Space Agency performed an assisted decommissioning of the now-retired Aeolus satellite to demonstrate responsible end-of-mission practices and reduce on-orbit space debris.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Jul 4, 2023Teledyne e2v Space Imaging celebrates sensors success as Aeolus de-orbits

Since 2018, data from Aeolus satellite observations have been used to improve weather forecasts and climate models.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Jul 4, 2023Teledyne e2v Space Imaging celebrates sensors success as Aeolus de-orbits

Teledyne e2v Space Imaging, part of Teledyne Technologies, designed and built sensors for the Aeolus satellite.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jul 4, 2023Teledyne e2v Space Imaging celebrates sensors success as Aeolus de-orbits

Aeolus is a 1360-kg satellite operated by the European Space Agency.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.8May 10, 2023ESA’s wind mission satellite Aeolus to die fiery death setting standard for safe reentry

The preparatory work will enable the EUMETSAT Council to decide by mid-2025 whether to proceed with the EPS-Aeolus and EPS-Sterna programs.

PlanValue 3.8Dec 7, 2022EUMETSAT examining the expansion of the organization’s LEO fleet

EUMETSAT plans to procure a recurrent Aeolus satellite to provide more than 10 years of observations.

PlanRelationshipsValue 4.0Dec 7, 2022EUMETSAT examining the expansion of the organization’s LEO fleet

The European Space Agency launched the Aeolus Doppler wind lidar mission in 2018.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0May 5, 2022NOAA seeks input on new satellite sensors and digital twin

Airbus UK teams built and designed the Aeolus wind-sensing satellite.

CapabilityValue 4.0Aug 2, 2021British Prime Minister Opens The New UK Airbus Space + Defence HQ

The European Space Agency’s Aeolus satellite executed collision-avoidance maneuvers in low Earth orbit in September 2019 due to a close pass by a SpaceX Starlink satellite.

CapabilityValue 4.0May 4, 2021Europe’s Galileo braces for more emergency in-orbit maneuvers

The European Space Agency shifted the orbit of its Aeolus spacecraft to avoid a close approach to a SpaceX Starlink satellite.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Sep 19, 2019Better coordination needed among operators to avoid potential collisions

Experts in ESA's Space Debris team calculated the risk of collision between the Aeolus and the Starlink satellites.

GeneralValue 2.5Sep 2, 2019ESA spacecraft dodges potential collision with Starlink satellite

The Aeolus satellite performed a maneuver to avoid a potential close approach to Starlink 44.

GeneralCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 2, 2019ESA spacecraft dodges potential collision with Starlink satellite

The safest option determined for Aeolus was to increase its altitude to pass over the SpaceX satellite.

PlanValue 2.5Sep 2, 2019ESA spacecraft dodges potential collision with Starlink satellite

The European Space Agency maneuvered its Aeolus Earth science satellite on September 2, 2019 to avoid a potential collision with a SpaceX Starlink satellite.

GeneralCapabilityValue 4.0Sep 2, 2019ESA spacecraft dodges potential collision with Starlink satellite

The probability of collision between the Aeolus and the Starlink satellite exceeded the decision threshold, prompting ESA to prepare a maneuver.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Sep 2, 2019ESA spacecraft dodges potential collision with Starlink satellite