The Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) project under development of the European Space Agency (ESA) has passed the critical design review, a key step to start the manufacturing of the satellite ahead of planned launch in 2024.
The project began in March 2021 when ESA partnered with OHB Sweden to a build prototype satellite for the mission. The contract is worth over €32 million and the industrial team for the AWS includes 31 companies from 12 countries.
AWS is a pathfinder mission to demonstrate the importance of radiometric measurements to improve weather forecasts in the Arctic region. The satellite will carry a 19-channel cross-track scanning microwave radiometer, providing high-resolution humidity and temperature soundings of the atmosphere in all weather conditions.
When this first phase of the project delivers its results, the contract may be expanded to include a constellation of several satellites. The requirements of the first system are thus adapted to allow scaling up to a constellation of satellites.
Theodor Lisovoy for Rough&Polished
