The Airbus-built Biomass satellite, designed for the European Space Agency (ESA), has departed from Toulouse and is on its way to Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be launched. Biomass is part of ESA’s Earth Explorer program and will be the first satellite to use a P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to measure forest biomass. Operating from 666 kilometers above Earth, the satellite will provide highly accurate data to assess carbon stocks and fluxes in tropical, temperate, and boreal forests.
Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, commented on the milestone, stating, “Shipping this mission marks the culmination of years of hard work. The satellite’s advanced technology will allow climatologists to monitor and understand carbon dynamics in forests, playing a crucial role in climate regulation.”
The satellite is equipped with a 12×15 meter deployable antenna to collect the SAR data necessary for creating detailed biomass maps. This will allow scientists to track changes in biomass resulting from deforestation or forest recovery, data which is difficult to obtain using traditional ground-based methods.
The development of Biomass involved teams from Airbus’ facilities in Stevenage (UK) and Friedrichshafen (Germany), and it included collaboration with over 50 companies from 20 countries. The satellite is now preparing for the next steps, including in-orbit commissioning, with a calibration transponder to be placed in New Norcia, Australia. The Biomass satellite is scheduled to launch in April 2025 aboard a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana, where it will continue to operate for a planned mission duration of five years.
