en.Wedoany.com Reported - Airbus Defence and Space has signed a preliminary contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) at ESA's ECSAT technology centre in Harwell, UK, for the design and construction of the Aeolus-2 wind-measuring satellite.

Aeolus-2 will succeed the first Aeolus satellite, also built by Airbus and launched in 2018. The first Aeolus provided high-resolution vertical wind profiles from space, improving numerical weather prediction accuracy by 4% and significantly enhancing global weather forecast model precision. The first Aeolus satellite operated in orbit until 2023, and its data improved understanding of hurricane and volcanic ash high-altitude propagation paths, while enhancing data availability in polar and equatorial regions, reducing the average error between predictions and observations by over 4%.

Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, stated that the Aeolus mission exceeded expectations, demonstrating the transformative impact of space-based wind observations on weather forecasting. Cheli believes that Aeolus-2 is a natural step from pioneering research to operational services, benefiting citizens and businesses worldwide, and that project approval marks an important milestone for Europe in maintaining leadership in atmospheric observation and meteorological innovation.

UK Space Minister Liz Lloyd noted that the UK has been at the forefront of satellite weather forecasting since the original Aeolus mission, and that Airbus Defence and Space UK will once again play a leading role in this new chapter. Lloyd stated that the UK's participation in Aeolus-2 is supported by continued UK investment in ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), ensuring that UK expertise and industry remain at the core of cutting-edge space science. Lloyd believes that Aeolus-2 will bring more accurate weather forecasts to the UK and create high-skilled job opportunities through participation in European space science projects.

Kata Escott, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space UK, stated that Aeolus-2 is not only a scientific mission but also an investment in UK talent. The project will enable the UK team to apply its expertise to enhance weather monitoring and maintain a leading position in global Earth observation and science.

Aeolus-2 will be equipped with another Doppler wind lidar, using an ultraviolet laser, scanning from the ground to an altitude of 30 km, taking measurements every 0.01 seconds and covering the globe every seven days. Unlike the first satellite, Aeolus-2 will add a detector to measure aerosols in the atmosphere. Light from the Aeolus satellite's laser is reflected when it encounters tiny particles such as dust, ice crystals, and water droplets, and the backscattered light collected by the telescope reveals wind speed and direction based on the Doppler shift of the particles.

Aeolus-2, developed by ESA in collaboration with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), will benefit major meteorological centres such as the UK Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The satellite is designed to operate in a 450 km orbit, circling the Earth 15 times per day, and transmitting data to users within 120 minutes of the oldest measurement in each orbit, with a design life of 5.5 years.