UK-built satellite 'to dramatically improve weather forecasts'

The European Space Agency is launching the first satellite capable of measuring the wind speed on the surface of the Earth from space.Named Aeolus after the ruler of the winds in Greek mythology, the satellite was built in the UK and will be launched from the ESA facility in Kourour in French Guiana.Aeolus is set to dramatically improve weather prediction models by using lasers to measure winds on the surface of Earth and up to 30km into the stratosphere.