The goal of the SPECTRA mission is to investigate the role of terrestrial vegetation in the carbon cycle and its response to climate variability. Dedicated research has demonstrated that accuracy of biophysical variables, as used in ecosystem models can be improved with retrievals from multi-angular, hyperspectral remotely sensed data. The SPECTRA mission will provide such data sets for all global biomes. Biome-specific parameters can then be assimilated into ecosystem models at local, regional and global scales, resulting in improved monitoring and understanding of the dynamics of the global carbon cycle.