WALES Program
WALES (Water Vapour and Lidar Experiment in Space) was an ESA Earth Explorer candidate concept for global, high-accuracy and high-vertical-resolution water-vapour profiles through the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Its active four-wavelength differential-absorption lidar would overcome the uneven coverage and bias of radiosondes and passive sensors, support climate and numerical-weather-prediction models, and provide cloud, aerosol, boundary-layer and surface-reflectance spin-offs. ESA assessment material documents WALES as a research concept rather than an implemented programme.
Identity
- Aliases
- WALESWater Vapour and Lidar Experiment in SpaceEarth Explorer WALESWALES mission
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Name
- WALES Program
- Status
- planned
- Types
- researchscience
Details
- Description
- WALES (Water Vapour and Lidar Experiment in Space) was an ESA Earth Explorer candidate concept for global, high-accuracy and high-vertical-resolution water-vapour profiles through the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Its active four-wavelength differential-absorption lidar would overcome the uneven coverage and bias of radiosondes and passive sensors, support climate and numerical-weather-prediction models, and provide cloud, aerosol, boundary-layer and surface-reflectance spin-offs. ESA assessment material documents WALES as a research concept rather than an implemented programme.
- Leads
- Parent Program
- Participants
- -
- Start Date
- 2001
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 13, 2026 at 17:16:52 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 13, 2026 at 17:16:52 UTC
Other
- Official Urls
- https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Preparing_for_tomorrow/Summary_of_the_WALES_missionhttps://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Candidate_Earth_Explorer_Technical_Annexes_now_availablehttps://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Preparing_for_tomorrow/Scientific_and_technical_mission_documents