{"id":23825,"date":"2025-04-28T21:45:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T13:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/esas-biomass-mission-launches-aboard-vega-c\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T21:45:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T13:45:51","slug":"esas-biomass-mission-launches-aboard-vega-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/esas-biomass-mission-launches-aboard-vega-c\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA\u2019s Biomass mission launches aboard Vega-C"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The European Space Agency\u2019s seventh Earth Explorer mission, Biomass, launched on Tuesday aboard an Arianespace Vega-C rocket. Biomass, which will study Earth\u2019s forests and their impact on the planet\u2019s climate, lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 09:15 UTC (6:15 AM local time).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>The Earth Explorer missions are part of the Living Planet Programme (LPP), managed by the Earth Observation Programmes Directorate of the European Space Agency (ESA). These missions are dedicated to utilizing innovative technologies to help scientists gain a deeper understanding of our world. Selected in May 2013 from three candidate missions, Biomass will use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to measure the biomass of forests with a particular focus on Earth\u2019s tropical regions.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=w_d_graham&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1915701748485836944&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2025%2F04%2Fbiomass-vega-c%2F&amp;sessionId=55b2a05a3027d99beda4c5e2a03e0c7716c2bfe5&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1915701748485836944\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494035597332857=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"emoji\" alt=\"\ud83d\udcfa\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/svg\/1f4fa.svg\"> Watch live: the launch of @ESA_EO&#8217;s Biomass mission on Vega-C #VV26, liftoff scheduled for 29 April, 10.15 BST\/11.15 CEST. #ESAwebTV coverage starts 09.55 BST\/10.55 CEST. More details <img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" role=\"img\" class=\"emoji\" alt=\"\ud83d\udc47\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/svg\/1f447.svg\">https:\/\/t.co\/u2Eb9ttKGT<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 European Space Agency (@esa) April 25, 2025<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While satellite-mounted SAR payloads are relatively common, ESA describes the instrument aboard Biomass as the first P-band radar to be used in space. This refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which it operates, with P-band being an alternative name for a portion of the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band. The instrument aboard Biomass operates at a frequency of 435 megahertz, resulting in a longer wavelength than SAR payloads in previous missions, which have utilized higher-frequency parts of the spectrum, such as the L and X bands.<\/p>\n<p>SAR is an active-scanning sensing technology, where the satellite emits radio signals that are reflected back from Earth\u2019s surface. Taking advantage of the satellite\u2019s motion in orbit, clever processing techniques enable readings to be taken with a smaller antenna that would have required a much wider one if the satellite were stationary \u2014 hence the \u201csynthetic aperture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-106272\" class=\"size-full wp-image-106272\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars-1170x780.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Biomass_out_of_the_box_pillars-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-106272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Biomass after its arrival in Kourou. (Credit: ESA\/CNES\/Arianespace)<\/p>\n<p>On the Biomass mission, a combination of polarimetry and interferometry will be performed using the SAR payload. These rely on measuring the change in polarization of the radar signal and the interference between multiple waves. These techniques allow for a detailed picture of the surface to be built up. The P-band radar aboard Biomass is key to its mission, giving it the ability to peer through layers of vegetation and build a detailed image over time of how forests are structured \u2014 allowing the satellite to literally see the wood from the trees.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Biomass\/VV26 Updates<\/li>\n<li>ESA Section<\/li>\n<li>NSF Store<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This data will allow scientists to build a profile of the biomass in Earth\u2019s forests, helping refine estimates of how much carbon they store. It will also aid in monitoring how forests are changing through processes such as deforestation and regrowth. Other applications include studying the topology of the forest floor, the structure of ice sheets, and the underlying structure of desert regions.<\/p>\n<p>Rocket building kits<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space tourism guides<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>NASA mission updates<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>ESA selected Airbus Defence and Space as the prime contractor for Biomass, with construction taking place in the UK. Companies from twenty ESA member nations have been involved in the development of the satellite, with US and Canadian companies also contracted for components. The radar imaging payload was built by Airbus in Germany, with the American firm L3Harris constructing its deployable 12 m reflector antenna. The satellite has a mass of 1,131 kg and is expected to operate for at least five years in an orbit 666 km above Earth\u2019s surface, inclined at 98 degrees.<\/p>\n<p>Arianespace launched Biomass using its Vega-C rocket. Vega-C is a four-stage vehicle that first flew in 2022 as an upgraded successor to the original Vega, which completed 22 launches between February 2012 and September 2024. It is the smaller of the two rockets operated by Arianespace, complementing the much larger Ariane 6. Tuesday\u2019s launch is designated VV26; it is the fourth flight of Vega-C and the 26th mission overall for the Vega family.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-106271\" class=\"wp-image-106271 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1025\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146-525x350.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VV26_Hissage_PAC_ZLV_146-263x175.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1025px) 100vw, 1025px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-106271\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vega-C VV26 on the launch pad during payload mating operations. (Credit: Arianespace)<\/p>\n<p>All Vega-C rockets launch from the Zone de Lancement Vega (ZLV) at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana. This was formerly Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 1 (ELA-1), used by the Ariane 1, Ariane 2, and Ariane 3 rockets between 1979 and 1989, before being rebuilt for Vega ahead of its 2012 debut. ELA-1 was itself built on the site of an earlier launch pad, which had been constructed for the unsuccessful Europa launcher project.<\/p>\n<p>The launch campaign for Biomass and VV26 began on Feb. 28, when work to integrate the lower stages of the launch vehicle commenced. The satellite arrived in French Guiana on March 7 and was unpacked and loaded with propellant ahead of its mating with Vega\u2019s Vampire payload adaptor. On April 14, Biomass was encapsulated in the payload fairing that will protect it during the ride into space. The upper composite, including the mated satellite, adaptor, and fairing, was transported to the launch pad three days later and installed atop the rocket on April 18.<\/p>\n<p>Vega-C consists of three solid-fuelled stages with a liquid propellant fourth stage to complete orbital insertion. As Arianespace conducts its countdown in French, the moment of liftoff is referred to as \u201cH0,\u201d or \u201cheure 0,\u201d rather than T0. At this moment, the first stage P120C motor will ignite and propel VV26 skyward. This stage will power the ascent for approximately two and a half minutes, at which point the first stage will separate, and the second stage\u2019s Zefiro-40 will take over, followed by the third stage, the Zefiro-9A. The payload fairing will separate early in the third stage burn.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Flight VV26 | Biomass | Vega C | Arianespace\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EEhmFO_Y_WE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Once the three solid-fueled stages completed their burns, the mission entered a brief coast phase as the combined third stage, fourth stage, and payload continued to climb towards the apogee \u2014 or highest point \u2014 of their trajectory. About seven minutes and 10 seconds after launch, the third stage separated, ahead of fourth stage ignition at the eight-minute mark in the flight.<\/p>\n<p>The fourth stage is the Attitude and Vernier Upper Module+ (AVUM+), equipped with a restartable RD-843 engine. This stage completed three burns during the VV26 mission, with the second beginning about 53 minutes after liftoff, following another coast phase. Biomass separated from its payload adaptor shortly after the end of this burn, with AVUM+\u2019s third burn occurring almost 50 minutes after spacecraft separation to ensure the safe disposal of the stage.<\/p>\n<p>The Biomass launch follows Vega-C\u2019s successful return to flight in December on the VV25 mission. This ended a two-year hiatus after the failure of its previous launch in December 2022. Vega-C is still in its qualification phase, with ESA overseeing the project. Arianespace\u2019s next launch is expected to be another Vega-C, VV27, in July, which will deliver a four-satellite Earth imaging constellation to orbit for the French national space agency, CNES.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead image: Vega C launches Biomass from Guiana Space Center \u2013 Credit: Arianespace)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Space Agency\u2019s seventh Earth Explorer mission, Biomass, launched on Tuesday aboard an Arianespace Vega-C rocket. Biomass, which will study Earth\u2019s forests and their impact on the planet\u2019s climate, lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 09:15 UTC (6:15 AM local time). The Earth Explorer missions are part of the Living Planet Programme (LPP), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[941,498,5523,8128,246,341,157,916,8129],"class_list":["post-23825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-airbus","tag-arianespace","tag-climate","tag-earth-explorers","tag-esa","tag-kourou","tag-sar","tag-vega-c","tag-zlv"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23825"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}