ESA Launches Cutting-Edge Satellite to Measure Carbon Stored in Earth’s Forests

The European Space Agency (ESA) has officially launched "Biomass", a state-of-the-art satellite tasked with mapping the carbon content hidden within Earth’s forests.

ESA Launches Cutting-Edge Satellite to Measure Carbon Stored in Earth’s Forests

SUBHEAD
‘Biomass’ satellite deploys to penetrate forest canopies with groundbreaking radar, aiming to quantify carbon in 1.5 trillion trees and deepen understanding of climate change impacts.

KEY FACTS

• What: Launch of ESA’s first satellite designed to measure forest carbon using radar
• Where: Lift-off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana
• When: Tuesday (launch successful and signal received within 75 minutes)
• Technology: P-band synthetic aperture radar to penetrate forest canopies
• Purpose: To estimate the amount of carbon stored in forests and assess effects of deforestation
• Scope: Target regions include the Amazon, Congo, Indonesia, and more
• Satellite Size: 1.2 tonnes, with a 12-meter antenna nicknamed the "space brolly"

SITUATION SNAPSHOT
As the rocket roared skyward above French Guiana’s lush terrain, a new era in Earth observation took off. The Biomass satellite, equipped with a radar powerful enough to peer through dense forest canopies, began its mission high above the Amazon, ready to weigh the carbon stored in the planet’s green lungs.

WHAT WE KNOW
The European Space Agency (ESA) has officially launched "Biomass", a state-of-the-art satellite tasked with mapping the carbon content hidden within Earth’s forests. It employs a pioneering P-band radar system—never before used in space—to pierce tree canopies and measure trunks, branches, and stems, where most carbon is stored.

According to the ESA, forests worldwide absorb around 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Yet, rapid deforestation and degradation are reversing this trend, releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. There has never been a precise global method to measure forest carbon—until now.

The satellite’s radar reflector, nearly 40 feet across, will soon unfold and begin capturing data. After separation from its launch rocket, Biomass sent back a successful signal, confirming it's functioning properly in orbit. The radar will operate similarly to a CT scan, taking repeated slices of forests over time to build a 3D representation of biomass.

WHAT’S NEXT
Engineers will complete the satellite's commissioning phase over the coming days, testing all systems and deploying the massive antenna. Data gathering will then begin in earnest, starting with the Amazon. Ground teams will also continue taking physical measurements to calibrate the satellite’s readings. Researchers anticipate full operational data will flow in the coming months.

VOICES ON THE GROUND
"We really want to interrogate these forests. We can actually look inside," — Prof John Remedios, director, National Centre for Earth Observation.

"To actually know for the first time with high accuracy how much is actually in the Amazon, Congo, Indonesia," — Prof John Remedios.

"Most radars that we have in space today take wonderful images of icebergs, but when they look at forests they see the tops of the forest, the little twigs, the little leaves, they don't penetrate down into the forests," — Dr Ralph Cordey, head of geosciences, Airbus.

"But what we found was that by using a much longer radar wavelength, we could see down into the depths of trees and forests," — Dr Ralph Cordey.

"Our current understanding is really patchy, because it's really, really difficult to measure... Essentially, what we're talking about is trying to weigh the amount of carbon that's stored in one and a half trillion trees across the tropics," — Prof Mat Disney, remote sensing expert, University College London.

"Satellites are really the only way you can do that consistently," — Prof Mat Disney.

CONTEXT
Rainforests have long been dubbed the "lungs of the Earth" due to their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Yet global estimates of how much carbon they store have remained elusive, relying on extrapolated measurements of individual trees. With tropical forests being both vast and inaccessible, satellite technology now presents the most viable path forward for reliable global data.

Biomass is part of ESA’s Earth Explorer program, designed to address key scientific challenges regarding our planet’s system. Its results are expected to inform climate models, conservation strategies, and deforestation policies globally.

REPORTER INSIGHT
From ESA’s mission control to the rainforest canopy, this launch marks more than a technological milestone—it represents a pivotal leap in how humanity monitors the health of the planet. In the silence of orbit, Biomass will be listening to Earth’s forests, translating their structure into hard data, and, perhaps, clues to our climate’s future.