ESA - Biomass - Archive

ESA title

The mission

Carrying a novel P-band synthetic aperture radar, the Biomass mission is designed to deliver crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing, and to further our knowledge of the role forests play in the carbon cycle.

The launch

Date: 2025
Site: Kourou, French Guiana
Rocket: Vega-C

1st P-band radar in space
666 km altitude
1250 kg mass
12 m diameter antenna

Biomass

10 remarkable Earth facts

18/04/2023 435609 views 2542 likes

Biomass satellite over forest

ESA’s forest satellite robust for launch

23/02/2023 4484 views 65 likes

Biomass instrument open

Biomass heads for the shaker

14/11/2022 2567 views 37 likes

Biomass mission

Enabling & Support

Forecasting performance of a space antenna – before it gets…

26/01/2022 3939 views 44 likes

Biomass’ 12-metre wire-mesh reflector

ESA’s Biomass on track to target forests

15/11/2021 5148 views 64 likes

Above ground biomass in Russia

Russia’s forests store more carbon than previously thought

04/08/2021 11471 views 96 likes

Above ground biomass in the Amazon basin

Forest degradation primary driver of carbon loss in the Bra…

10/06/2021 6539 views 98 likes

Biomass satellite

Forest measuring satellite passes tests with flying colours

28/04/2021 6464 views 127 likes

Forests key to climate fight

Contract seals deal for Biomass satellite’s ride into space

28/10/2019 3747 views 52 likes

Biomass mission

Enabling & Support

Key components of tree-counting Biomass radar cleared for s…

16/10/2018 5331 views 111 likes

Forest carbon

Ready to build the Biomass forest mission

03/05/2016 5688 views 54 likes

Gabon forest

Focus on Gabon forests for Biomass

03/03/2016 3466 views 47 likes

Forest from above

Gabon on the radar

22/07/2015 4823 views 50 likes

Forest carbon

ESA’s Biomass satellite goes ahead

19/02/2015 14597 views 113 likes

Height of Bangladesh mangrove

Mapping forest structure from space

30/01/2015 8760 views 61 likes

Northern biomass

Earth’s northern biomass mapped and measured

26/06/2013 9058 views 73 likes

Forest carbon

Earth Explorers take centre stage at Le Bourget

19/06/2013 3826 views 40 likes

Forest carbon

ESA calls for Biomass Mission Advisory Group

08/05/2013 2139 views 4 likes

Composite of P-band SAR data

Campaign reveals how forest change can be monitored from sp…

26/10/2010 1323 views 2 likes

Large tropical tree

ESA investigates new methods of mapping tropical forest fro…

21/08/2009 1602 views 2 likes

Three components of the Earth system

Three ESA Earth science missions move to next phase

02/03/2009 2138 views 2 likes

ESA's Earth Science Advisory Committee

Quest for new Earth Explorer leads scientists to Lisbon

22/01/2009 1165 views 0 likes

Boreal forest

ESA leads the way to map boreal forest

20/10/2008 7105 views 1 likes

Different spheres of the Earth system

ESA to consult the science community on Earth Explorer sele…

17/07/2008 1367 views 0 likes

Biomass measuring concept

Measuring forest biomass from space - ESA campaign tests BI…

30/05/2007 4268 views 3 likes

The Living Planet

Six new Earth Explorer missions selected for further study

23/05/2006 2498 views 0 likes

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