Dragon-6 Insights

Leipzig, 29.04.2026 – Ulla Wandinger

The DQ-1 Aerosol and Carbon Detection Lidar (ACDL)

 

 

On 28-29 April 2026, a group of European and Chinese scientists met with representatives of the European Space Agency (ESA) at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) to discuss collaboration in the field of laser remote sensing from space. The event was organized as part of the Dragon-6 programme, a cooperation between ESA and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the P.R. China to support the exploitation of Earth Observation satellite data. Special focus was on the Aerosol and Carbon Detection Lidar (ACDL) onboard the Chinese DQ-1 mission launched in April 2022. The participants discussed potential applications and joint use of high-resolution aerosol and cloud data delivered by this instrument.

 

More info:

Hybrid meeting with 25 on-site and about 20 online participants

Participants from China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, UK

Potential use of the data, e.g., to

  • Establish long-term Climate Data Records on aerosol and clouds from multi-mission observations (CALIPSO, Aeolus, DQ-1, EarthCARE)
  • Enhance knowledge on the global distribution and properties of aerosols and clouds   
  • Investigate the global impact of hazardous events like dust storms and wildfires
  • Evaluate numerical weather and aerosol forecast models

Participants will collaborate on these topics in the next years. 
Collaborations in the framework of Dragon-6 include the training of Young Scientists and involve PhD students from Chinese and European partner institutions.
DQ-2 was launched on 17 April 2026.

 

Link:

Dragon 6 cooperation ESA – MOST > https://dragon6.esa.int/

Dragon-6 workshop at TROPOS in Leipzig. Photo: Tilo Arnhold, TROPOS