Aeolus will introduce a novel technique for acquiring global measurements of wind profiles ranging from the surface up to the lower part of the Stratosphere. The assimilation of its observational data in numerical weather models is expected to eliminate major limitation in current forecast systems. Level 1B and Level 2 products will further be made available to a broad scientific user community supporting various research applications. The Aeolus development involves a large industrial consortium, under the lead of EADS-Astrium (U.K.) as prime contractor, and with start of the Phase C/ D activities was in 2003. The ground processor development involves expert teams in the U.K., France, The Netherlands, Germany and Canada. The integration and both the platform and the ALADIN payload is in progress. The qualification tests for the laser diodes have been completed in March 2007. The Aeolus launch is planned for 2009.
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