On April 30, 2023, all nominal operations of Aeolus, the first mission to observe Earth’s wind profiles on a global scale, will end in preparation for a series of end-of-life activities. A recent upgrade to the original Aeolus laser means it has performed better than ever in recent months, while diminishing fuel combined with increased solar activity means the mission must be brought to an end.

Getting ESA’s wind mission to this point is a huge achievement, exceeding its projected three-year lifespan by more than 18 months.

But this is not the end.

Over the past year, scientists and industry experts have been developing a detailed roadmap for the completion of the Aeolus mission. After much thought and careful planning, it was decided that the best course of action would be to carefully return the satellite to Earth. The end of life calendar will be finalized in the coming weeks and will be announced at a later date.

Meanwhile, Aeolus will provide data as usual until the end of operations on April 30, 2023. While no new operational data will be collected after April 30, existing mission data will remain available to users.

“I would like to thank all our ESA and industry colleagues who designed and led this unique mission,” said Tommaso Parrinello, Aeolus mission manager. “Special thanks to the scientific community for their outstanding support and contributing to one of the most successful missions ever undertaken by ESA.”

Innovative wind mission

As ESA’s fifth Earth probe, Aeolus has been given an extremely challenging and pioneering task: measuring global winds from space using a laser. Its launch in 2018 was a feat that some might find impossible, especially after years of persistence and determination to get its experimental technology working. Along the way, he encountered many puzzles and failures.

After entering orbit, Aeolus did further testing as it had to switch to a backup laser less than a year after launch.

It was worth the struggle as Europe’s wind mission won.

Aeolus data is now available at major sites around the world, including the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Meteo-France, the UK Met Office, Germany’s Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) and India’s Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (DWD). used by weather forecasting services. Range Weather. Forecast (NKMRV). Its many successes, including the economic benefits exceeding 3.5 billion euros, mean that an operational follow-up mission called Aeolus-2 will be launched within ten years.