The Biomass mission is designed to unlock insights into how forests are changing and regulating Earth's carbon cycle.
The station hosts a custom transponder antenna for calibrating measurements of the ESA’s Biomass mission, which is set to launch in 2025.
The BIOMASS mission will provide the international Earth observation community with data to capture spatial patterns of biomass and forest heights.
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has been significantly involved in the BIOMASS mission from the beginning.
Thuy Le Toan proposed the Biomass mission in 2005 to quantify plant biomass in forests.
CNES supports the scientific community around the Biomass mission by funding PhD theses and projects.
Ten French research laboratories are contributing to the Biomass mission, alongside research centers in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States.
Significant scientific and technical challenges were faced by the Biomass mission as the first satellite mission operating in the P-Band.
Germany is contributing over 20 percent to the Biomass mission and is providing the main instrument.
The DLR's Dornier DO 228-212 research aircraft was used for measurement flights in Gabon as part of the Biomass mission preparation.
The data collected by the Biomass mission will be useful beyond forest observation, aiding in the monitoring of the ionosphere, glaciers, and ice caps.
The Biomass mission will deliver important data about the state of forests, which is significant for climate models.
The core of the Biomass mission is a P-Band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instrument developed and manufactured in Germany.
The DLR Institute for High-Frequency Technology and Radar Systems conducted preparatory aircraft campaigns for the Biomass mission.
The Biomass mission is expected to produce global biomass and tree height maps every seven months.
The Biomass mission will provide key information regarding forest resources, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and conservation.
The Biomass mission will launch from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The Biomass mission supports the objectives of the German Space Strategy related to the UN Agenda 2030, the EU Green Deal, and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Airbus Defence and Space in Friedrichshafen developed the P-Band-SAR instrument for the Biomass mission.