ESA's Aeolus satellite has been returning profiles of Earth's winds since 3 September 2018, just after it was launched – and after months of careful testing these measurements are considered so good that the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is now using them in their forecasts.

Due to a scheduled maintenance, access to the Aeolus dissemination system will be unavailable on Monday 02 December 2019, from 09:00 to 10:00 CET.

Tests carried out show that new wind profile observations from ESA's Aeolus satellite significantly improve weather forecasts – particularly in the southern hemisphere and the tropics.

Due to a scheduled maintenance, access to the Aeolus dissemination system will be unavailable on Wednesday 18 September, from 09:00 to 11:00 CEST. 

ESA's Aeolus satellite, which carries the world's first space Doppler wind lidar, has been delivering high-quality global measurements of Earth's wind since it was launched almost a year ago. However, part of the instrument, the laser transmitter, has been slowly losing energy. As a result, ESA decided to switch over to the instrument's second laser – and the mission is now back on top form.

Assessing the accuracy of data being returned by completely new technology in space is a challenging task. But this is exactly what engineers and scientists have been dedicating their time to over the last months so that measurements of the world's winds being gathered by Aeolus can be fed confidently into weather forecast models.

The first in-orbit Aeolus Cal/Val and Science Workshop will be held at ESA-ESRIN (Frascati, Italy) from 26 to 29 March 2019. The workshop will focus on the mission status, first data quality and Cal/Val results, the planning of the NWP impact assessment, and on the scientific exploitation of Aeolus data including current and possible future products.

If you would like to attend the workshop, act soon, as pre-registration is mandatory and the deadline is 25 February 2019.

Since ESA's Aeolus satellite was launched in August, engineers and scientists have been carefully checking the information that this pioneering mission is delivering on the world's winds – and now it's time for the next phase.

Following the launch of Aeolus on 22 August 2018, scientists have been busy fine-tuning and calibrating this latest Earth Explorer satellite. Aeolus carries a revolutionary instrument, which comprises a powerful laser, a large telescope and a very sensitive receiver.

This edition of Space comes from the coast of northern Norway, where we've come to the Andøya Space Centre to meet scientists working on a new satellite called Aeolus.

Just one week after ESA's Aeolus satellite shone a light on our atmosphere and returned a taster of what's in store, this ground-breaking mission has again exceeded all expectations by delivering its first data on wind – a truly remarkable feat so early in its life in space.

Following the launch of Aeolus on 22 August, this extraordinary satellite's instrument has been turned on and is now emitting pulses of ultraviolet light from its laser, which is fundamental to measuring Earth's wind. And, this remarkable mission has also already returned a tantalising glimpse of the data it will provide.

Having worked around the clock since the launch of Aeolus on Wednesday, teams at ESA's control centre in Germany have declared today that the critical first phase for Europe's wind mission is complete.

ESA's Earth Explorer Aeolus satellite has been launched into polar orbit on a Vega rocket. Using revolutionary laser technology, Aeolus will measure winds around the globe and play a key role in our quest to better understand the workings of our atmosphere.

The teams responsible for flying the Aeolus satellite completed a pre-launch ‘dress rehearsal' at ESA's ESOC operations centre in Darmstadt today, the last major step in getting ready for next Tuesday's liftoff.

Although weather forecasts have advanced considerably in recent years, there is a need for global wind measurements to improve them even further. ESA's Aeolus mission will fill this gap by providing global wind-profiles in near-real time.

ESA's Aeolus wind satellite is poised for liftoff from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This latest Earth Explorer satellite has been at the launch site since early July being readied for its ride into space on 21 August at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST).

ESA's Martin Kaspers joins us at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where Aeolus is being readied for liftoff on 21 August 2018.

As preparations for the launch of ESA's latest Earth Explorer continue on track, the team at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana has bid farewell to the Aeolus satellite as it was sealed from view in its Vega rocket fairing. Liftoff is set for 21 August at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST).

Aeolus is the next ESA Earth Explorer satellite to be launched on 21 August 2018 from Kourou, Europe's spaceport in French Guiana.