Proud to announce #Arianespace will launch another of @ESA’s Earth Explorer research missions! #Biomass will play important role in @UN treaties to reduce emissions from deforestation/forest degradation. Launch period w/ #Vega begins in Oct. 2022. @AirbusSpace #MissiontoSuccess
Scheduled for liftoff in 2023, the development of the mission is well on the way and completion is in sight.
Most of the avionic units such as the onboard computer, the power control unit and the reaction wheels to control the satellite's motion have already been mounted onto the structure. And, the first switch-on of the satellite has taken place already.
02 November 2022SpaceBye-Bye Biomass: forest monitoring satellite departs for final testing before launch Stevenage, 02 November 2022 – Biomass, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) forest measuring satellite has left the Airbus Defence and Space site in Stevenage and is on its way to Toulouse for final testing ahead of launch.The comprehensive environmental test programme for the spacecraft will include thermal vacuum tests, mechanical vibration, acoustic and electromagnetic compatibility testing to replicate the conditions during launch and the harsh environment in orbit.Faced with production and manufacturing challenges caused by the pandemic, the team at Stevenage has successfully completed the mechanical and electrical integration and testing of the spacecraft’s propulsion system, harness and all avionics equipment. The team has also attached and completed deployment testing of the large deployable reflector and integrated the radar instrument within the satellite, finalising the mechanical completion of the spacecraft.Richard Franklin, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space UK said: “Biomass will be able to measure the world’s forests on a global scale – a true world first. It will give scientists vital information about just how much carbon is locked up and also being absorbed by the “lungs” of the planet enabling better decisions to be made on tackling climate change. This latest milestone builds on the successes of the previous ESA missions Sentinel-5P and Aeolus, confirming Airbus as a leader in Earth observation and environmental monitoring satellite manufacturing.”Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency said: “It’s exciting to see ESA’s forest mission, Biomass, built with backing from the UK Space Agency, setting off to prepare for its mission. It’s the first satellite capable of studying the world’s forests in three dimensions, providing valuable data on how they store carbon. With this information, organisations and authorities around the world will be able to measure key changes in our forests, predict what the impact will be, and take early action to prepare for, or even correct, that, as well as work towards critical net zero targets. This is a ground-breaking programme made possible by UK expertise in Earth observation science and we are proud to be a part of it.”ESA’s flagship Earth Explorer mission will measure forest biomass to assess terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes at an altitude of 600km above the Earth. The spacecraft will carry the first space-borne P-band synthetic aperture radar, delivering exceptionally accurate maps of tropical, temperate and boreal forest biomass that are not obtainable by ground measurement techniques.Twenty engineers from the UK based team will lead the test campaign in Toulouse, supported by colleagues on site and from Airbus in Friedrichshafen.Alongside testing, the UK team will prepare for the in-orbit commissioning and operational phases, with a separate team managing the delivery of the ground calibration transponder, located in New Norcia, Australia.Biomass is set to launch from Kourou, French Guiana on a Vega rocket in 2024, and is scheduled to operate for five years.#SpaceMatters #biomass @AirbusSpace @AirbusintheUK @ESA_EO @esaclimate
Airbus Space@AirbusSpace·21. März4⃣ panels of ~1900 cells:⚡️1500W provided by the Sun📏Total area: 7m2These are #Biomass' solar panels built by Airbus for the @ESA forest monitoring mission.🛰️Measuring forests' changes helps us take early action for a more sustainable planet. 🌎#InternationalDayofForests 🌳
What's the source for the August 2023 launch date?
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 03/25/2023 02:55 amWhat's the source for the August 2023 launch date?Very old news, thread title hasn't been updated since Oct 2021. It's 2024 now.
https://spacewatch.global/2023/03/esas-biomass-satellite-robust-for-launch/ [March 3]QuoteBiomass is expected to launch in 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on a Vega rocket.https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/missions/biomassQuoteThe Biomass launch is expected around April 2024 and is planned to be a five-year mission.
Biomass is expected to launch in 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on a Vega rocket.
The Biomass launch is expected around April 2024 and is planned to be a five-year mission.
Quote from: ZachS09 on 09/01/2023 12:54 amQuote from: friendly3 on 09/01/2023 12:18 amThe return to flight of Vega-C won't happen before the end of 2024, coming from a reliable French source in Kourou.That late? One year from now?Yes, at best.<snip>
Quote from: friendly3 on 09/01/2023 12:18 amThe return to flight of Vega-C won't happen before the end of 2024, coming from a reliable French source in Kourou.That late? One year from now?
The return to flight of Vega-C won't happen before the end of 2024, coming from a reliable French source in Kourou.
The space segment comprises a single spacecraft carrying a P-band SAR, operating in stripmap mode in a near-polar, sun-synchronous quasi-circular frozen orbit at an altitude of 634–666 km, depending on the different mission phases.The baseline Vega launcher will inject the satellite into its target orbit. The orbit is designed to enable repeat-pass interferometric acquisitions throughout the mission’s life. The baseline is different for the interferometric (in the order of 2 km at the equator) and the tomographic phases (below 1 km at the equator).Acquisitions are made at dawn/dusk, i.e. 06:00/18:00 local time (at the equator) [Local Time Ascending Node = 06:00], to minimize the adverse influence of the ionosphere on the radar signal. The Biomass mission will last five years and will comprise a tomographic phase with a duration of 1 year followed by the interferometric phase.
...Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, commented: “The half year 2023 brought a sharp increase in net order backlog and cash for both space and defense, providing substantially improved visibility for the future. Profits improved versus 2022 thanks to a lower impact from energy costs on industrial operations. The launch of Vega is scheduled for the beginning of October and another one in spring 2024 while the planning of the return to flight of Vega C is awaiting the results of the Independent Enquiry Commission relating to the anomaly of the static firing test of the Zefiro 40 motor expected by September.”...
SN ESA delays Vega C return to flight to late 2024, October 2, by Jeff FoustQuoteThe second, and final, Vega launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. Stéphane Israël, chief executive of Arianespace, said the payload for that mission, along with the Vega C return to flight, have yet to be identified. <snip>
The second, and final, Vega launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. Stéphane Israël, chief executive of Arianespace, said the payload for that mission, along with the Vega C return to flight, have yet to be identified. <snip>
https://twitter.com/arianespaceceo/status/1711243445501927624QuoteStéphane Israël @arianespaceceoAfter the success of #VV23, #Vega will be back @EuropeSpacePort for the final run, scheduled Q2 2024. Keep you posted!
Stéphane Israël @arianespaceceoAfter the success of #VV23, #Vega will be back @EuropeSpacePort for the final run, scheduled Q2 2024. Keep you posted!
As of late 2022, the final flight of Vega was to have been the European Space Agency’s Biomass forest measuring satellite, the launch contract of which had been signed in October 2019. However, in early 2023, the agency began to consider that the launch of its Sentinel 2C Earth observation mission was more urgent. The decision to swap out Biomass for Sentinel 2C was officially made during the summer. The contract to build Sentinel 2C and 2D was awarded to Airbus Defence and Space in January 2016. The contract was worth more than €280 million.
Now we wait to see when and on what launcher the Biomass spacecraft will go up with.How long can the mission wait for an European launcher?
Quote from: Zed_Noir on 12/06/2023 03:57 amNow we wait to see when and on what launcher the Biomass spacecraft will go up with.How long can the mission wait for an European launcher?How critical is Biomass considered to be vs other European institutional satellites vying for Vega C launch slots? 🇪🇺 🛰 Has ESA ranked priorities? 🤔 Might Falcon 9 figure in its future?
Date: 2024Site: Kourou, French GuianaRocket: Vega
Biomass is planned to be launched in 2024 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on a Vega rocket.
That final Vega mission was previously set to launch the Biomass Earth science satellite for ESA. It is now currently scheduled to launch Sentinel-2C, another Earth science spacecraft that is part of the Copernicus program. Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s director of Earth observation, said that ESA has not yet identified a new launch opportunity for Biomass.
