The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the highly anticipated biomass satellite, a cutting-edge mission to transform the way global forests are monitored from space.
The innovative biomass mission provides unprecedented data on forest structure and carbon storage. It provides important information to track deforestation, understand the global carbon cycle, and deal with the global climate crisis.
The satellite left the Vega-C Rocket on April 29th from a European space plant in Kourou, Guiana, France.
Commenting on the landmark’s launch, Simonetta Cheli, director of ESA’s Earth Observation Program, said:
“Biomass is now joining our respected family of Earth Explorers, a mission that has consistently provided groundbreaking discoveries and advanced scientific understandings of our planets.
“Biomass is poised to acquire important new data on the amount of carbon stored in global forests, helping to bridge the key gaps in the carbon cycle and ultimately the knowledge about the Earth’s climate system.”
Successful deployment and first signal
Less than an hour after the lift-off, the biomass was separated from the top stage of the rocket. At 12:28 CEST, the German ESA’s European Space Operations Centre received the first signal of the satellite relayed through an Antarctic trawl ground station, confirming it was fully operational in orbit.
Over the next few days, the mission controller will carry out key stages of post-release checks and calibration. This includes deploying a large 12-mesh mesh radar reflector of satellites supported by the 7.5-meter boom, and ensuring that all systems function as expected.
P-band radar power
Biomass is the first satellite to carry a P-band synthetic aperture radar. This is a powerful sensor that can penetrate thick cloud cover and dense forest canopy.
The radar bounces signals from trunks, branches and forest floors, allowing scientists to measure “woody biomass,” which stores most of the forest’s carbon.
Developed by more than 50 companies led by Airbus UK, this unique radar system is set to revolutionize how researchers evaluate forest carbon stocks: critical data for addressing climate change.
Why biomass is important
The forest acts as the planet’s green lungs and absorbs about 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year.
However, deforestation and forest degradation, especially in tropical regions, is releasing carbon back to the atmosphere and promoting global warming.
To date, the lack of accurate global data on forest carbon storage has posed a major challenge to climate science and policy.
Biomass fills this gap and dramatically improves carbon stock and flux estimates caused by land use change, deforestation and regeneration.
Global missions that have long-term impact
With successful launches and early operation in progress, ESA’s biomass satellites are poised to begin providing important data on global forests.
By measuring forest biomass and tracking it over time, the mission provides scientists and policymakers with the reliable information they need to better understand the impacts of deforestation, climate change and land use change.
As satellites move to fully operational, they show significant progress in global efforts to protect forests and mitigate climate change.
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