Why in the News?

The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch Biomass Mission to map the world’s forests and enhance our understanding of their crucial role in the global carbon cycle.

About the Biomass Mission by ESA

• The ESA will launch the Biomass mission on April 29, 2025, aboard the Vega C rocket from French Guiana.
• The mission aims to map the world’s forests, gathering data on their role in the carbon cycle and how they change over time.
• It will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at around 666 km, optimizing sunlight for observations.
• It is the 7th mission in ESA’s Earth Explorer Program, focusing on data related to Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, and land surface.

Features of the Biomass Mission:

• Biomass uses a P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor (70 cm frequency), capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure carbon storage in trees and the forest floor.
• It will be the first satellite to use this cutting-edge P-band SAR technology, offering unprecedented forest biomass data.
• Equipped with a 12-meter antenna, the satellite will deploy upon launch to conduct broad Earth observations.
• It will create 3D images of forests, from canopy to roots, providing detailed insights into forest health and carbon storage.

Significance of the Biomass Mission:

• The mission will fill critical gaps in forest biomass and height data, improving understanding of forests’ role in the carbon cycle and climate change.
• Biomass will measure carbon storage in forests and track changes due to deforestation and human activity.
• The mission’s data will aid climate change mitigation strategies by tracking carbon fluxes between forests and the atmosphere.
• It will support environmental monitoring, assist policymakers, and contribute to global climate change strategies.

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