The launch of ESA's Biomass: A European leap into Earth observation | Euronews Tech Talks

Over 95 per cent of French Guiana - a French overseas section nestled betwixt Brazil and Suriname - is covered successful tropical forests, a wild, thick, humid ecosystem recovered successful regions adjacent nan equator. 

Tropical forests play an important domiciled successful mitigating ambiance change, arsenic they sorb a awesome stock of nan c dioxide (CO2) stored successful terrestrial biomass.

However, quantifying precisely really overmuch CO2 these forests sorb is challenging, arsenic their dense canopies make them almost impenetrable.

But nan reply to these doubts mightiness travel from French Guiana itself.

Blasting disconnected from Europe's spaceport successful Kourou connected April 29, nan European Space Agency (ESA) launched Biomass into orbit, a outer designed to measurement nan magnitude of c tropical forests store.

Euronews Tech Talks was connected tract for nan liftoff. In nan first of 2 typical episodes dedicated to nan satellite, nan podcast looks backmost astatine nan eve of nan motorboat to research nan satellite, nan group moving connected it, and really they felt up of nan important motorboat day. 

The Biomass satellite

Biomass is nan seventh ngo of ESA's Future EO programme, a bid of projects based connected proposals from scientists to trial caller technologies and analyse circumstantial aspects of our planet. 

In nan lawsuit of Biomass, its standout characteristic is its P-band radar, a exertion ne'er utilized earlier successful space. 

The P-band instrument, which resembles an umbrella, sends low-frequency signals that penetrate nan canopy and bounce backmost to nan satellite, providing information connected nan amount of c stored and its location wrong nan trees. 

This instrumentality will not switch on-the-ground investigation connected tropical forests, but it will supply basal information to understand their domiciled successful c flows. 

In fact, grasping really overmuch c is stored successful terrestrial biomass tin thief researchers find nan magnitude of CO2 successful nan atmosphere. 

"It’s not conscionable scientifically relevant, but it besides has existent worth for each of america citizens," Simonetta Cheli, ESA head of Earth study programmes, told Euronews.

"It contributes to a healthier planet, to improving our wellness and nan value of nan aerial we breathe," she continued.

Biomass: A European project

To organise and behaviour nan mission, ESA relied connected nan support of aggregate European actors. 

The outer was manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, and launched into orbit by nan Vega C.

The rocket’s components were produced crossed 13 ESA personnel states, pinch nan Italian institution Avio serving arsenic nan lead contractor and creation authority of nan project.

"It took america years to get here, but now we’re capable to connection a scope of motorboat capabilities that tin meet practically immoderate request successful Europe," Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, told Euronews.

The different 2 important players successful nan task are Arianespace and CNES, nan French abstraction agency.

The erstwhile oversaw nan motorboat and is responsible for nan commercialized exploitation of nan launcher.

The second contributed to nan investigation down nan satellite’s development, managed nan motorboat campaign, and is progressive successful collecting information from nan outer successful orbit.

All these actors worked together for complete a decade to hole nan outer and its motorboat into space, a challenging move owed to nan eager novelty of nan P-band radar. 

The time earlier nan launch

On April 28, nan time earlier nan launch, Kourou spaceport welcomed representatives, professionals and journalists looking guardant to witnessing Biomass's lift-off. 

In nan Jupiter Centre, 1 of nan main buildings successful nan abstraction installation lodging nan Mission Control Room, nan aerial was filled pinch a shared consciousness of anticipation. 

Some group were rational, including Jean-Frédéric Alasa, motorboat scope operations head astatine CNES.

"We’re ever excited to motorboat because it’s nan extremity of a agelong shape of preparation," he told Euronews. "But we besides see nan business successful which we person a failure, because a motorboat is complicated".   

Others were driven by a wished optimism.

"We are very confident, it will work, and it will beryllium useful for each of us," Michael Fehringer, Biomass task manager, told Euronews. 

But really did nan motorboat go?

To find retired more, perceive to this section of Euronews Tech Talks and to nan adjacent one, retired connected May 28.