Satellite mission to ‘weigh’ Earth’s 1.5 trillion trees underway

Satellite mission to ‘weigh’ Earth’s 1.5 trillion trees underway

The European Space Agency has launched its Biomass satellite, a mission designed to enhance the global understanding of how forests affect the Earth’s carbon cycle. The satellite will use advanced radar technology to measure the amount of carbon stored in trees and monitor changes in forest structure, particularly in tropical regions. What is the Biomass satellite designed to do? ESA claimed that Biomass is the first satellite equipped with a P-…

ESA's Biomass Mission is Off to Weigh the World's Forests

Space exploration not only allows us to look out into the universe but it also allows us to look back at Earth. ESA’s Biomass satellite will measure the amount of carbon in the world's forests, tracking how the carbon cycle absorbs and releases carbon over the seasonal cycles. It launched this week from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana atop a Vega-C rocket and safely reached its intended orbit. It has a synthetic aperture radar that can pen…

First-of-Its-Kind Satellite to 'Weigh' All the Wood in Forests

Mapping the world's forests, said to include some 1.5 trillion trees, is a big, big job—one that will be made a whole lot easier with Europe's newly launched satellite. The European Space Agency on Tuesday launched Biomass, a satellite with a 40-foot-wide, umbrella-shaped antenna, which has the task...

New report reinforces critical role of Amazonian protected areas in climate fight

A new report adds to the already overwhelming case that protected areas and Indigenous territories in the Amazon Rainforest serve as a critical carbon sink. The report, based on satellite data gathered by Earth imaging company Planet and analyzed by the nonprofit organization Amazon Conservation, reinforces the critical role of protected areas and Indigenous territories in climate action. Although protected areas and Indigenous territories cover…

Satellite launches on mission to "weigh" the world's 1.5 trillion trees

The European Space Agency's Biomass satellite is currently in orbit over the Amazon rainforest.

World’s First Mission To "Weigh" All Of Earth's Forests From Space Launches

The groundbreaking Biomass satellite will provide incredible insights into the flora of the planet.