The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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The Biomass satellite carries the first P-band synthetic aperture radar to observe Earth from space. Thanks to its long wavelength, around 70 cm, the radar signal can penetrate all the way through the forest canopy. This feature allows it to collect information on the height and structure of different forest types, and ultimately be used to measure the amount of carbon they store and how this is changing over time.
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.