1.04.2025
On April 29, 2025, Arianespace will launch Biomass, the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer satellite with a Vega C rocket.
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 Earth’s carbon cycle.
As the launch service provider, Arianespace contributes to Europe’s autonomous access to space, enabling ESA to carry out a critical mission in environmental monitoring and climate research.
Quelle: arianespace
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Biomass satellite to lift off aboard Vega C in late April
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 6:15 a.m. local time (09:15 a.m. UTC, 11:15 a.m. CEST), Arianespace will launch ESA's Biomass Earth Explorer satellite aboard a Vega C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Designated flight VV26, the mission aims to deliver the satellite into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit approximately 666 kilometers above Earth. The satellite will separate from the launcher 57 minutes after lift-off.
The European Space Agency's Earth Explorer program is renowned for producing world-class scientific data on Earth's dynamic systems. Forests, which absorb about 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, play a critical role in climate regulation. However, deforestation and degradation, particularly in tropical regions, are reversing this benefit by releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of this process is key to assessing broader climate impacts.
Biomass is equipped with the first P-band synthetic aperture radar ever flown in space. With a wavelength of roughly 70 centimeters, the radar can penetrate dense forest canopies, allowing it to assess forest structure and measure carbon content. The mission will monitor forest height and biomass distribution over time, offering valuable insight into carbon storage and ecological changes.
Beyond tracking forest biomass, the satellite will also provide data on subsurface geological formations in deserts, internal ice sheet structures, and forest floor topography. Built by Airbus Defence and Space, Biomass is designed for a mission duration of at least five years. During this period, it will observe a minimum of eight forest growth cycles.
These comprehensive measurements will not only enhance understanding of the global carbon cycle but also shed light on habitat loss rates and their potential effects on forest biodiversity.
Quelle: SD