European Space Agency’s Biomass Satellite Begins Journey to French Guiana for Upcoming Launch

European Space Agency’s Biomass Satellite Begins Journey to French Guiana for Upcoming Launch

(IN BRIEF) The Biomass satellite, developed by Airbus for the European Space Agency (ESA), has departed Toulouse for its journey to French Guiana. This Earth Explorer mission will use advanced radar technology to map global forest biomass and support climate research.

(PRESS RELEASE) TOULOUSE, 22-Feb-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Biomass, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) flagship Earth Explorer satellite, has embarked on its journey to Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be launched in April 2025. The Airbus-built satellite, designed to measure forest biomass from space, has left Toulouse by ship and will soon be ready for its mission to assess global carbon stocks and fluxes from an altitude of 666 km above Earth.

As part of ESA’s efforts to better understand the role of forests in regulating the climate, Biomass is equipped with the first space-borne P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR). This cutting-edge technology will provide highly accurate global maps of tropical, temperate, and boreal forest biomass, capturing data that is impossible to obtain through ground-based measurements, such as changes due to deforestation or forest regrowth.

Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, described the significance of this milestone: “Shipping this flagship mission marks a key achievement after years of dedicated work. The satellite’s groundbreaking technology will allow climatologists to measure carbon stocks and fluxes from space with unprecedented precision, enhancing our understanding of how forests impact climate regulation.”

The Biomass satellite features a large deployable antenna measuring 12×15 meters, designed to capture the SAR data that will be used to create accurate forest biomass maps. The data collected by Biomass will enable detailed assessments of forest loss and regrowth, providing insights into global carbon dynamics that have never been available before.

Airbus engineers based in Stevenage, UK, led the successful test campaign in Toulouse, supported by colleagues in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and across a broader industrial network. The teams will now turn their attention to the satellite’s in-orbit commissioning and operational phases. Additionally, a separate team is overseeing the ground calibration transponder at New Norcia, Australia, to support the satellite’s mission.

Developed with the collaboration of over 50 companies from 20 countries, Biomass is set to launch aboard a Vega-C rocket from Kourou. It will spend five years in orbit, contributing invaluable data for climate research.

Media Contacts:

Ralph Heinrich
AIRBUS | Defence and Space
Phone: +49 171 304 9751
ralph.heinrich@airbus.com

Jeremy Close
AIRBUS | Defence and Space
Phone: +44 776 653 6572
jeremy.close@airbus.com

Guilhem Boltz
AIRBUS | Defence and Space
Phone: +33 6 34 78 14 08
guilhem.g.boltz@airbus.com

Beatriz Lozano
AIRBUS | Defence and Space
Phone: +34 651 862 435
beatriz.lozano-mendez@airbus.com

SOURCE: AIRBUS