With liftoff less than three weeks away, ESA’s Aeolus satellite has been fuelled and is almost ready to be sealed within its Vega rocket fairing. Getting a satellite ready to be launched involves a long list of jobs, some of which are trickier than others. Since hydrazine is extremely toxic, only specialists dressed in bulky astronaut-like suits remained in the cleanroom for the duration of the activity. Aeolus has been at Europe’s spaceport near Kourou, French Guiana, since early July where it has been tested and is being readied for liftoff on 21 August at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST).