Levon Azizyan, Director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring SNCO, reports on his Facebook page:
The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the Biomass satellite into orbit at the end of April. This satellite has a unique mission to study the Earth's forests.
The launch will take place from the Kourou space station in French Guiana aboard the Vega-C rocket. The satellite's unique feature is a giant 12-meter antenna and a radar with a rare P-band (435 MHz), which can "photograph" dense forest masses and assess their biomass and carbon reserves.
Due to restrictions from the US Department of Defense, the data will not be distributed to North and Central America or Western Europe.
Biomass was created with the efforts of more than 50 companies from 20 countries. The leading developer is Airbus Defense and Space UK. L3Harris specialists made the antenna, and Thales Alenia Space specialists made the radar.
The mission was initially scheduled to launch in 2021, but technical details forced a delay of almost four years. The satellite is now ready for launch, complementing existing data on how the Earth's forests are changing and their role in global climate conditions.
