The satellite will launch next year to gauge forest biomass, giving us a better shot at understanding how much carbon dioxide Earth's trees are absorbing.
The European Space Agency's Biomass mission includes worldwide involvement. The mission plans to quantify changes to global forests over time to advance knowledge of carbon cycles. A P-band synthetic aperture radar uses a wire-mesh reflector to gather data on Earth's biomass. Next year, a radar reflector about as wide as a black spruce tree is tall will direct its gaze toward Earth's forests 410 miles below. The European Space Agency's Biomass mission will send a 39-foot radar reflector into orbit to measure the state of our world's forests. The apparatus will look through the leafy canopy of tropical forests to weigh out the woody biomass beneath, taking multiple passes in the very low P-band frequency to mark changes in biomass over time. This band is a special radar wavelength of about 70 centimeters that can penetrate the leafy canopy. 🌏 You want to keep up with the latest Earth news. Learn with us—join Pop Mech Pro. As the carbon dioxide-hungry mass of all woody plant life in an area, biomass slows down global warming. In one year, one mature tree absorbs more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen in return, according to the Arbor Day Foundation. Forests absorb about 8 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere a year. Changes to the rainforest, for example cutting down trees for farming, affects global climate negatively. However, we don't yet know how much biomass exists in tropical forests, so scientists cannot accurately calculate how much carbon dioxide is permeating Earth and its atmosphere. Measuring forests over a wide band of the planet takes a worldwide effort; 10 countries are involved. Planning for a launch on the Vega rocket in the latter half of 2023 from French Guiana, the satellite is currently under construction at Airbus in the United Kingdom. The…