Press Release 008 - Launch of Aeolus
Stuhr, 9th October 2018
| On August 22nd 2018, ESA’s Aeolus spacecraft, designed to perform the fundamental wind mapping in the inferior regions of Earth’s atmosphere, took-off from Kourou (CSG, French Guyana) on board a VEGA launcher. Centerpiece of the payload is the ALADIN wind doppler instrument, a ultraviolet (355nm) pulsed laser with a high spectral resolution. On September 6th 2018, the initial measurements from the ALADIN instrument were received and, even though the instrument was not yet fully calibrated, it already contained a level of detail beyond expectations, as confirmed by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast. |
Aeolus mission patch © ESA |
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After 4 weeks of LEOP (Launch and Early Operations Phase) and commissioning, Airbus Defense and Space Ltd, the spacecraft’s manufacturer, thanked all suppliers, including Omnidea-RTG, implied in the oxygen purging system of the ALADIN instrument for their support. The system’s performance is exemplary and now constantly purging the ALADIN with pure oxygen and thus enabling the critical wind measurements. Omnidea-RTG has developed, manufactured and tested 5 manually operated oxygen distribution valves for the purging system in order to facilitate and expedite ground testing of the sub-system. We congratulate the European Space Agency and Airbus Defence and Space Ltd. for this collaboration which has again resulted in a resounding success and thank them for the continued trust in our capabilities. As a space SME, Omnidea-RTG continues to be committed to producing quality equipment for its customers. We would like to thank our clients for their continued support and we reaffirm our availability for future business endeavors.
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