European Space Agency to launch Biomass mission to enhance forest biomass measurements

The European Space Agency (ESA) is poised to launch its significant Biomass mission in April 2025, a project aimed at providing enhanced measurements of forest biomass, which are vital for understanding the carbon cycle. These measurements will be crucial for tackling the impact of forest degradation and deforestation, which release stored carbon back into the atmosphere, thereby affecting climate change.

Forests are essential carbon sinks, playing a critical role in the global carbon cycle. Despite their importance, current measurements of forest biomass remain inadequate across many regions of the globe. To address this, the Biomass mission will employ a satellite equipped with advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology that can penetrate through cloud cover and forest canopies, allowing for accurate estimations of tree biomass from space.

The development of the Biomass satellite has involved a consortium of over 50 companies led by Airbus UK as the prime contractor. The satellite is expected to be launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Speaking to "Innovation News Network," Michael Fehringer, Biomass Project Manager at ESA, elaborated on the importance of this mission: "The Biomass mission is designed to offer insights into the carbon cycle and climate modelling."

Fehringer highlighted the mission's focus on measuring how much carbon is stored in forests, a process that involves calculating the tonnes of wood per hectare—given that roughly one kilogram of wood equates to half a kilo of carbon. The project aims to create a global map of carbon in forests and evaluate changes over time, particularly within seven months of the initial measurement.

In terms of the preparatory phase for the mission, Fehringer shed light on the timeline and challenges: "The history of Biomass goes back to 2005 when the science community proposed the mission... Biomass won that competition in 2012." Despite the project's promise, it has encountered various technological challenges, particularly with the radar instrument, which has led to delays. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a year-long setback during crucial testing phases.

Following the launch in 2025, the mission will enter a short but intense period during which the satellite's systems will be checked and operated in what is termed the ‘commissioning’ phase, lasting approximately six months. This phase will also include data acquisition, instrument calibration, and validation against ground measurements obtained mainly in tropical regions. "We will fly over these sites and conduct our algorithm runs to achieve a result, which we then compare to the ground truth measurement," Fehringer noted. The process is meticulous, involving multiple overflights to ensure accurate characterisation of the radar beam.

As the mission progresses, Fehringer and his team will present their findings to independent reviewers, ultimately leading to the operational handover of the satellite. The Biomass mission promises to be a cornerstone in the quest to quantify and better understand the dynamics of forest carbon storage, providing valuable data that could significantly influence climate policies and management practices.

Source: Noah Wire Services