ESA and Arianespace have signed a contract to secure the launch of the Aeolus satellite on a Vega launch vehicle. The 1,500 kg spacecraft is designed to measure winds using ultraviolet laser/lidar technology. The launch of the spacecraft will take place in 2017.
The contract was signed at ESA headquarters in Paris, France, by ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, and CEO of Arianespace, Stéphane Israël.