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\t\t\t\t\t\t28\/04\/2025<\/span> After years of careful design and preparation, ESA\u2019s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite is set for launch tomorrow, 29 April at 11:15 CEST, aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe\u2019s Spaceport in French Guiana.<\/p>\n This groundbreaking mission will offer unprecedented insights into the state and evolution of the world\u2019s forests. By mapping the woody material in Earth\u2019s forests, this revolutionary satellite will play a crucial role in deepening our understanding of how forests influence the global carbon cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n ESA\u2019s Biomass Project Manager, Michael Fehringer, said, \u201cAfter years of innovation and cooperation with the scientific community and the space industry, we\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow, we will bid a fond farewell to our satellite as it embarks on its journey to begin a new chapter in orbit \u2013 where its real work begins.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Biomass carries the first P-band synthetic aperture radar ever flown in space \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Its data will significantly improve our understanding of carbon storage, forest health and how these ecosystems are changing over time.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The mission exemplifies the essence of an Earth Explorer \u2013 research missions developed under ESA\u2019s FutureEO programme that pioneer innovative space technologies while tackling fundamental scientific questions to enhance our understanding of Earth\u2019s complex systems.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 not only at the launch site, but also at ESA\u2019s European Space Operations Centre in Germany where controllers are preparing to take care of this precious satellite in orbit.<\/p>\n Notably, the team has rehearsed the deployment of the satellite\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As the world awaits liftoff, Biomass stands ready to deliver vital knowledge about one of our most precious ecosystems \u2013 forests.<\/p>\n Tune into <\/b>ESA WebTV<\/b>\u00a0to watch the launch live! Streaming starts on 29 April at 10:55 CEST. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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