Biomass heads for the launch site

ESA’s Biomass satellite has arrived in Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be prepared for liftoff on a Vega-C rocket.

Biomass mission will soon play a key role in delivering novel information about the state of our forests, how they are changing over time, and advance our knowledge of the carbon cycle. It is the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the radar signal can slice through the whole forest layer to measure the ‘biomass’, meaning the woody trunks, branches and stems, which is where trees store most of their carbon.

Read full story: ESA’s pioneering Biomass satellite arrives at launch site