Published on 29 April 2025
The ESA BIOMASS satellite lifted off aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 April at 11:15 CEST (06:15 local time).
As 7th Earth Explorer mission, the Biomass mission marks a major leap forward in our capacity to monitor Earth’s forests and their role in the global carbon cycle. Equipped with a unique P-band synthetic aperture radar, Biomass will deliver unprecedented data on forest biomass and carbon stored—insights that have never been available at this scale or detail before.
By providing crucial insights into forest structure, the mission will track carbon changes related to land-use shifts, forest degradation and regrowth, ultimately improving our understanding of forests’ role in the global carbon cycle. In doing so, Biomass will support wider efforts to mitigate climate change.
Developed in the context of ESA FutureEO Programme with a broad industry consortium led by Airbus UK, Biomass stands as a symbol of European EO scientific and technological excellence.
Information on Belgian media (in French): https://www.rtbf.be/article/un-satellite-europeen-va-cartographier-les-forets-et-leur-absorption-de-carbone-11502569
Information on Belgian media (in Dutch): https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/04/28/biomassasatelliet-esa-earth-explorer-biomass-satellite/
More info on ESA website (in English): https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Biomass/Biomass_launched_to_count_forest_carbon