28/04/2025
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After years of careful design and preparation, ESA’s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite is set for launch tomorrow, 29 April at 11:15 CEST, aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
This groundbreaking mission will offer unprecedented insights into the state and evolution of the world’s forests. By mapping the woody material in Earth’s forests, this revolutionary satellite will play a crucial role in deepening our understanding of how forests influence the global carbon cycle.
ESA’s Biomass Project Manager, Michael Fehringer, said, “After years of innovation and cooperation with the scientific community and the space industry, we’re more than excited to see the satellite ready for launch. This new mission will advance our ability to quantify forest carbon stocks and fluxes, which is key to understanding and assessing the impacts of climate change.
“Tomorrow, we will bid a fond farewell to our satellite as it embarks on its journey to begin a new chapter in orbit – where its real work begins.”
Biomass carries the first P-band synthetic aperture radar ever flown in space – a powerful instrument with a 70 cm wavelength capable of penetrating cloud cover and dense forest canopies to provide detailed information on forest biomass, which is essentially the woody material, forest height and structure.
Its data will significantly improve our understanding of carbon storage, forest health and how these ecosystems are changing over time.
In addition to measuring forest biomass, the radar can also be used to map subsurface geology in arid regions, study ice sheet structures, and reveal forest floor topography.
The mission exemplifies the essence of an Earth Explorer – research missions developed under ESA’s FutureEO programme that pioneer innovative space technologies while tackling fundamental scientific questions to enhance our understanding of Earth’s complex systems.
While the Biomass satellite waits patiently within its Vega-C rocket fairing atop the rest of the rocket on the launch pad, final checks for the launch are underway – not only at the launch site, but also at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Germany where controllers are preparing to take care of this precious satellite in orbit.
Notably, the team has rehearsed the deployment of the satellite’s 12-meter-diameter reflector antenna. The complexity of Biomass and its umbrella-shaped reflector make the launch and early orbit phase unique and relatively long.
As the world awaits liftoff, Biomass stands ready to deliver vital knowledge about one of our most precious ecosystems – forests.
Tune into ESA WebTV to watch the launch live! Streaming starts on 29 April at 10:55 CEST.
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