ESA’s Aeolus wind mission will provide timely and accurate profiles of the world’s winds and further information on aerosols and clouds. This mission will advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics. It will also provide much-needed information to improve weather forecasts and contribute to climate research.

The satellite, an example shown here, carries a single instrument: a Doppler wind lidar (light+radar) called Aladin. This sophisticated instrument is designed to probe the lowermost 30 km of the atmosphere along the satellite’s orbital path. Comprising a powerful laser, a large telescope and a very sensitive receiver, Aladin will be the first wind lidar in space. In cloud-free air the lidar will probe the atmosphere down to the surface, or to the top of dense cloud.