Airbus Wins ESA Contract To Build Aeolus-2 Wind-Profiling Satellite
The European Space Agency has picked Airbus Defence and Space to build Aeolus-2, the operational follow-on to the pioneering 2018 wind-measuring lidar mission, in a contract signed on 2 July 2026.
Key Takeaways
ESA awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract on 2 July 2026 to build Aeolus-2, the operational follow-on to the 2018 Aeolus wind-profiling mission retired in 2023.
Aeolus-2 carries a next-generation ultraviolet Doppler-lidar to measure global wind speed and direction, feeding data directly into EUMETSAT and ECMWF weather prediction pipelines.
Two satellites will be built at Airbus's Stevenage and Toulouse sites, with the first launch targeted for the late 2020s under joint ESA-EUMETSAT funding as part of the Copernicus expansion.
Aeolus-2 data is expected to improve global forecast accuracy by up to 5% within its coverage windows.
The win extends Airbus's recent ESA contract streak, including NewSpace L4, Mars Sample Return, and the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover extension.
Kaan Tınmaz
The European Space Agency has awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract to design and build Aeolus-2, the operational follow-on to the pioneering Aeolus wind-profiling mission launched in 2018. ESA and Airbus announced the deal on 2 July 2026, marking the next step in Europe's space-based weather-observation programme.
Ultraviolet Doppler-lidar goes operational
Aeolus-2 will carry a next-generation ultraviolet Doppler-lidar to measure wind speed and direction from orbit — one of the last major variables missing from real-time global weather models. The original Aeolus, retired in 2023, was an ESA Earth Explorer demonstration that proved the lidar concept in space. Aeolus-2 is the operational version, engineered for longer service life, higher data throughput, and formal integration into EUMETSAT and ECMWF numerical weather prediction pipelines.
Twin-satellite architecture
Airbus will build two Aeolus-2 satellites at its Stevenage and Toulouse sites, with the first launch targeted for the late 2020s. The mission is jointly funded by ESA and EUMETSAT and forms part of Europe's Copernicus expansion, which is adding CO2M carbon-monitoring satellites and additional Sentinel missions later this decade. Aeolus-2 data is expected to improve global forecast accuracy by up to 5% within its coverage windows.
Europe doubles down on Earth observation
The award adds to a busy July for European aerospace: Isar Aerospace signed Planet Labs Germany for the first all-German satellite-rocket launch, and Space Force added Impulse and Relativity to its Lane 1 program stateside. For Airbus, Aeolus-2 continues a run of ESA wins that includes NewSpace L4, Mars Sample Return, and the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover contract extension.
Reporting based on coverage from Orbital Today, SpaceNews and ESA.
Aeolus-2 is the operational follow-on to ESA's 2018 Aeolus wind-measuring mission. It uses an ultraviolet Doppler-lidar to measure wind speed and direction from orbit, with longer service life, higher data throughput, and formal integration into EUMETSAT and ECMWF weather forecasting systems.
Who is building Aeolus-2 and when will it launch?
Airbus Defence and Space will build two Aeolus-2 satellites at its Stevenage and Toulouse sites, with the first launch targeted for the late 2020s.
How will Aeolus-2 improve weather forecasting?
Wind speed and direction is one of the last major variables missing from real-time global weather models. Aeolus-2 data is expected to improve global forecast accuracy by up to 5% within its coverage windows.
How is the Aeolus-2 mission funded?
The mission is jointly funded by ESA and EUMETSAT and forms part of Europe's Copernicus expansion, which also includes CO2M carbon-monitoring satellites and additional Sentinel missions later this decade.
