Wivern (satellite)

Last updated

Wivern
Mission type Earth observation satellite
Operator ESA
Website https://wivern.polito.it/
Start of mission
Launch dateNET 2032
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Wivern (Wind Velocity Radar Nephoscope) is a future Earth observation satellite under development by the European Space Agency (ESA). Wivern will be the first space mission to measure winds inside clouds, filling a major gap in weather observations. Additionally, Wivern will provide high resolution measurements of rain, snowfall, and clouds. Its primary instrument will be a dual-polarization Doppler radar scanning the atmosphere in a conical geometry. The launch of Wivern is planned for early 2030s. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Project history

The competition for the Earth Explorer 11 mission began on 10 June 2021. A call for proposal ideas was released on 25 May 2020, with the deadline for submission on 4 December 2020. [7] [8] Four candidates were chosen to compete for the opportunity in June 2021: Cairt , Nitrosat, Seastar, and Wivern. [9] In November 2023, Cairt and Wivern have been selected as the final two competing entries with a projected launch date in 2032 or 2033. [6] Wivern has been recommended on 9 July 2025 at a meeting in Prague, [2] [10] although ESA’s Advisory Committee for Earth Observation also strongly encouraged further development of Cairt for future mission opportunities. On 23 September 2025, ESA’s Member States have officially selected Wivern as ESA's 11th Earth Explorer mission. [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Severe storm forecasts set to improve with new satellite - University of Reading". www.reading.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  2. 1 2 "Expert Committee Recommends the Selection of the WIVERN Satellite Mission as the 11th Earth Explorer". mpimet.mpg.de. 2025-07-15. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  3. ↑ Battaglia, Alessandro; Illingworth, Anthony; Tridon, Frederic; Rizik, Ali; Martire, Paolo; Scarsi, Filippo Emilio (2023-02-22). The WInd VElocity Radar Nephoscope (WIVERN): a candidate mission for the ESA Earth Explorer 11 (Report). Copernicus Meetings.
  4. ↑ "WIVERN: A 'WInd VElocity Radar Nephoscope' to observe global in-cloud winds, clouds and precipitation – Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation". ceoi.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  5. 1 2 "ESA selects WIVERN as 11th Earth Explorer mission". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  6. 1 2 "Cairt and Wivern Earth Explorer candidates go forward". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  7. ↑ "Calling for ideas for next Earth Explorer". ESA. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Four mission ideas to compete for Earth Explorer 11". ESA. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Four mission ideas to compete for Earth Explorer 11". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  10. ↑ "Home - 25M06 - EE11 User Consultation Meeting". Home. Archived from the original on 2025-05-23. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
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