The satellite

While the P-band radar is the measuring instrument, the satellite’s most striking feature is its mesh reflector, which offers a 12 m diameter projected aperture. Supplied by L3 Harris Technologies, the wire-mesh reflector measures just over 12 m across.

It is mounted on the side of the satellite platform and folded for launch so that it can be accommodated within the rocket fairing. This configuration has resulted in the unique shape of the satellite platform.

Once the satellite is injected into orbit, a three-piece boom deploys the stowed reflector bundle into position. When the boom hinges lock into their final positions the reflector bundle is released and opened up to provide a highly accurate and stable 12 m aperture wire-mesh reflector.

Satellite engineers have had to make sure that the deployment of reflector and the solar array, do not hinder sensor and antenna availability by passing through their respective fields of view.

The relative geometry and pointing stability of the reflector and feed array are critical for the science mission, and the provision of adequate radiator area is needed for thermal reasons.

These configurations lead to a complex attitude and orbit control subsystem with dedicated modes for the stowed configuration, the deployment configuration and the final in-orbit configuration, in addition to the classic orbit control modes and safe mode.

Once in the final configuration, the attitude and orbit control subsystem maintains the satellite in an Earth-pointing attitude during the routine operations.

The satellite also accommodates various subsystems such as instrument electronics, an attitude and orbit control system, a reaction control system, a thermal control system and data handling units.

Biomass also carries a camera that takes images of the antenna deployment.

Biomass operates in a dawn-dusk, Sun-synchronous orbit at a mean altitude of 666 km and an inclination of around 98°. A dawn (06:00) ascending node time minimises any adverse effects of the ionosphere on the radar signal.

Over its life in orbit, the mission is operated in two phases, namely, the tomographic phase at the beginning followed by the interferometric phase. Novel to Earth observation, the first phase yields 3D maps of forests. The second phase allows forest height and above-ground biomass to be estimated. During this phase, around five global maps are acquired.

Biomass orbits Earth in a Sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit at altitude of 666 km. The satellite’s left-looking synthetic aperture radar covers a single fifty- to sixty-kilometre-wide swath at a time.

Biomass was launched on 29 April 2025 on a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.