Satellite mission to ‘weigh’ Earth’s 1.5 trillion trees underway
- On April 29, 2025, the Biomass satellite was sent into orbit from Kourou, French Guiana, aboard a Vega-C rocket to observe and analyze Earth's forests.
- The mission responds to the lack of precise data on global forest carbon stocks, especially in tropical regions that absorb 75% of carbon but are hard to monitor on the ground.
- Biomass uses a 12-meter deployable P-band synthetic aperture radar operating at 70 cm wavelength to penetrate dense canopies and measure woody biomass as a proxy for stored carbon.
- Biomass will collect data for at least five years, with the first 18 months focused on tomography to map forest structure, enabling improved carbon tracking and climate modeling.
- The mission aims to reduce uncertainties in carbon stock estimates, assist in tracking deforestation, and support environmental policy, marking a milestone in Earth observation programs.
64 Articles
64 Articles
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…
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