Tuesday 29 April, the Biomass satellite, built by Airbus Defence & Space for the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth Explorer programme, was placed into Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 666 kilometres by the Vega-C launcher operated by Arianespace from Europe’s spaceport at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG). 

The launch is the 26th from the CSG for the Vega series since entering service at the launch base in February 2012. Designed to loft small satellites into low Earth orbit, Vega complements Ariane 6 by guaranteeing the ability to launch all sizes of satellite into a full range of orbits. 

Better understand the impact of forests on the climate

Proposed by the CESBIO biosphere research centre as the seventh mission of ESA’s Earth Explorer programme, Biomass is designed to map forest biomass and height in all types of forests across the globe. To accomplish this mission, the satellite is carrying a P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capable of penetrating through forest canopies to precisely measure their biomass and ability to store carbon, and hence to gain a deeper understanding of the role of forests in the carbon cycle and climate change. Biomass will also enable scientists to regularly survey subsurface geology, arid regions and polar ice caps, providing global coverage every nine months for at least five years. These data will help to assess the impact of deforestation, track yearly loss of biomass and predict the evolution of forest ecosystems.

A major innovation of the mission lies in its radar’s ability to provide a 3D view of forests with a resolution of 50 to 100 metres, thus delivering new insights into their dynamic mechanisms and their role in the carbon cycle. More broadly, Biomass is aiming to understand and predict the impact of forests on Earth’s climate and biodiversity, and to guide actions to preserve and manage natural resources.