Overview

• The European Space Agency's Biomass satellite launched successfully on April 29, 2025, aboard a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana.
• Initial signal checks confirm the satellite is operational, with deployment of its 12-meter-wide mesh reflector and 7.5-meter boom underway.
• Biomass carries the first-ever P-band synthetic aperture radar, capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure woody biomass and carbon storage with unprecedented precision.
• The mission will deliver the first global 3D forest biomass map in 17 months, with subsequent updates every nine months over its five-year lifespan.
• Developed by over 50 companies led by Airbus UK, the satellite also has secondary applications, including mapping subsurface geology, ice sheet structures, and forest floor topography.