Biomass, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Airbus-built satellite, has left Toulouse for its journey by ship to Kourou, French Guiana, ready for launch. Biomass, an Earth Explorer satellite, is ESA’s flagship mission to measure forest biomass to assess terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes from an altitude of 666 km above the Earth. The spacecraft will carry the first space-borne P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), delivering exceptionally accurate maps of tropical, temperate and boreal forest biomass. The spacecraft … will be used to provide accurate global maps of tropical, temperate, and boreal forest biomass. Data on changes in biomass due to forest loss (for example from logging/burning) and regrowth is unattainable by ground measurement techniques. …The Biomass satellite’s development and testing have involved more than 50 companies across 20 countries. Biomass is scheduled to launch in April 2025 on a Vega-C rocket from Kourou and will operate on-orbit for five years.