This light bounces off air molecules and small particles such as dust, ice and droplets of water in the atmosphere. The laser generates ultraviolet light that is beamed towards Earth.
Its state-of-the-art Aladin instrument, which was designed by Airbus Defence and Space in France, incorporates two powerful lasers, a large telescope and very sensitive receivers. Since Aeolus will deliver measurements almost in real time, it is also set to provide much-needed information to improve weather forecasts. These vertical slices through the atmosphere, along with information on aerosols and clouds, will advance our knowledge of atmospheric dynamics and contribute to climate research. With this milestone, we are another step closer to a better understanding of Earth's winds.Ĭarrying pioneering lasers, Aeolus will be the first satellite to probe the wind globally. It has been years in the making, but one of the trickiest pieces of space technology ever developed is finally ready to join its satellite for launch by the end of next year. These near-realtime observations will improve the accuracy of numerical weather and climate prediction and advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and processes relevant to climate variability. The receiver analyses the Doppler shift of the backscattered signal to determine the speed and direction of the wind at various altitudes below the satellite. The telescope collects the light that is backscattered from air molecules, particles of dust and droplets of water. The laser system emits short powerful pulses of ultraviolet light down into the atmosphere. The satellite carries the first wind lidar in space, which can probe the lowermost 30 km of the atmosphere to provide profiles of wind, aerosols and clouds along the satellite’s orbital path.
The ADM-Aeolus mission will not only advance our understanding of atmospheric dynamics, but will also provide much-needed information to improve weather forecasts.
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