Biomass - Earth Online

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ESA set to shine at the upcoming Living Planet Symposium 2025

In June 2025, the global community of remote sensing scientists and researchers will gather at the next Living Planet Symposium (LPS 25).

Biomass is now in space – what happens next?

On 29 April, Biomass successfully launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking the start of its mission to deliver new insight into the world’s forests.

Biomass data applications added to Earth Online Visuals

ESA’s newest Earth Explorer, Biomass, is expected to launch later this month. In anticipation of this new mission dedicated to studying Earth’s forests, examples of data applications for Biomass have been added to the Earth Online Visuals website.

Forest satellite’s big antenna opens up

The successful deployment of Biomass’ mesh antenna reflector marks the final key step in the launch and early operations phase.

Biomass launched to count forest carbon

ESA’s Biomass satellite to provide unprecedented insights into the world’s forests and their crucial role in Earth’s carbon cycle, has been launched.

About Biomass

Biomass

Selected as ESA's seventh Earth Explorer in May 2013, the Biomass mission will provide crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing. The data will be used to further our knowledge of the role forests play in the carbon cycle. Biomass will also provide essential support to UN treaties on the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

Biomass launched on 29 April 2025 and is planned to be a five-year mission.

Biomass Objectives

The Biomass mission determines the global distribution of forest biomass by reducing the uncertainty in the calculation of carbon stock and fluxes associated with the terrestrial biosphere.

Biomass Instrument

Biomass carries, for the first time from space, a P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument to determine the amount of biomass and carbon stored in forests.

Biomass INSTRUMENTS

Biomass DATA

Biomass TOOLS