A world premiere

Great success for the tests on Aeolus satellite at the CSL


The Liège Space Centre (CSL) has just successfully completed the final qualification of the Aladin instrument (Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument) mounted on its Aeolus satellite. The test campaign was carried out at the request of Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) with the active support of CSL.

 

The instrument and satellite arrived at the CSL by late March 2017 and will be launched next July. Aladdin will make it possible to obtain a global wind speed map, which will significantly improve weather forecasts and should contribute to research on global warming.

The test was extremely delicate and sharp due to the coupled presence of the instrument and its satellite, on one hand, and the use of a very high-powered laser, on the other. It mobilised the specific skills of the satellite manager (ADS-UK), the instrument supplier (ADS Toulouse) and the Liege Space Centre (CSL).

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©CSL

The principal constituents of Aladin are the near-ultraviolet laser (355nm) emitting 80mJ in 25ns, that is to say a peaking power of 3.2 MW, the telescope 1.5m diameter and spectrometers for detecting the speed of water, air and particle molecules.

The technical challenges were numerous, from the development of the so-called clean laser to the elimination of contamination, the optimization of surface coatings and the stability of optics.

With a laser designed by an Italian team, an instrument developed by the French and an English satellite, CSL specialists have had a unique experience and met many human and technical challenges.

The vacuum tests lasted 50 days, from October 30 to December 19,2017, requiring constant availability and verification of every detail in order to validate the equipment. Thanks to this availability and the skills gathered at the CSL, Airbus Defence and Space was able to validate the complete performance of the mission, in flight condition according to the famous maxim "Test As you fly".

For this test campaign, the CSL (Project Manager: Isabelle Domke) provided dedicated logistic resources, guaranteed a stable and uniform thermal environment, as well as absolute cleanliness and remarkable mechanical stability.

 

More information on the Aeolus mission

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