Aeolus, or, in full, Atmospheric Dynamics Mission-Aeolus (ADM-Aeolus), is an Earth observation satellite operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). It was built by Airbus Defence and Space and launched on 22 August 2018. ADM-Aeolus is the first satellite with equipment capable of performing global wind-component-profile observation and will provide much-needed information to improve weather forecasting. Aeolus is the first satellite capable of observing what the winds are doing on Earth, from the surface of the planet and into the stratosphere 30 km high. The satellite was named after Aeolus, a god from the Greek mythology, the ruler of the winds. Program The program was initially approved in 1999 for a 2007 launch but technological obstacles caused 11 years of delay, as it was launched on 22 August 2018. For an estimated €481 million (US$568 million) program cost, it should provide 64,000 daily profiles from March or April 2019. Its altitude is a low for enough backscattered light sensibility, inducing a short 3 years life expectancy. Mission Aeolus is the fifth planned satellite in the Living Planet Programme (LPP) of the European Space Agency (ESA). The main goal of this mission is to further develop the knowledge of Earth's atmosphere and weather systems. By recording and monitoring the weather in different parts of the world, Aeolus will allow scientists to build complex weather models, which can then be used to help predict how that environment will behave in the future. These predictions will be useful in the short-term, since they can be applied to numerical weather prediction in order to make forecasts more accurate. The mission will thus improve the knowledge of all sorts of weather phenomena, from global warming to the effects of air pollution. Aeolus is seen as a mission that will pave the way for future operational meteorological satellites dedicated to study Earth's wind profiles. Satellite The spacecraft was built by Airbus Defence and Space. In 2014, the integration of ALADIN instrument was completed and vacuum along with vibration testing begun. On 7 September 2016, ESA and Arianespace signed a contract to secure the launch of the Aeolus satellite. Scientific payload The wind-component profiles will be measured by the Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument (ALADIN). ALADIN The ALADIN instrument (Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument) is a direct detection ultraviolet laser lidar consisting of three major elements: a transmitter, a combined Mie and Rayleigh backscattering receiver assembly, and a Cassegrain