Vega Flight VV12

Vega Flight VV12 with the Aeolus satellite

Relive this launch

More about this launch

Press release: Another successful launch by Arianespace and Vega for ESA and sustainable development

Launch date: August 22, 2018

Payload(s): Aeolus

Launch vehicle: Vega

Customer(s): European Space Agency (ESA)

Status: Success

Prime contractor(s): Airbus Defence and Space

Launch site: Spaceport, French Guiana (Guiana Space Center)

Orbit: Sun-synchronous orbit

For its fifth launch of the year, and the first in 2018 with Vega, Arianespace will orbit the Aeolus satellite, the world’s first space mission to acquire profiles of Earth’s wind on a global scale, on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA).

This marks the eighth Earth observation mission conducted by Arianespace for ESA. It will also be the 12th mission of the Vega launcher, which once again is to demonstrate its versatility and perfect adaptation to European missions dedicated to Earth observation.

Payload

Aeolus

CUSTOMER

European Space Agency (ESA)
PRIME CONTRACTOR

Airbus Defence and Space
MISSION

Earth observation
PLATFORM

Based on Mars Express design
MASS

Total mass at launch: 1,357 kg.
STABILIZATION

3 axis
DIMENSIONS

4.00 m x 4.35 m x 1.6 m
TARGETED ORBIT

Sun-synchronous, at an altitude of approximately 320 km.
DESIGN LIFE

Three years operational, three months of commissioning

ESA’s Aeolus satellite will be equipped with a single instrument: a Doppler wind lidar called Aladin -an advanced laser system designed to timely and accurately measure global wind-profiles from space. Aeolus will probe the atmosphere with pioneering ultraviolet laser pulses, which will enhance the understanding of tropical dynamics and processes relevant to climate variability.

This mission will thus provide much-needed data to improve the quality of weather forecasting as well as contributing to long-term climate research.

For Aeolus prime contractor Airbus Defence and Space, this mission involves its 120th satellite built for launch by Arianespace, while 20 Airbus spacecraft remain in Arianespace’s backlog of payloads to be launched.