Satellite Biomass ofEsa (European Space Agency) was launched by the European base of Kouurouin the French guyana. The take-off of the Vega-C rocket with the satellite on board took place at 11:15 am and was followed live by the European Center for Spatial Operations of Darmstadt, Germany. The separation and positioning in orbit of biomass satellite took place around 12:13 while the signal acquisition at 12:27.
Biomass is a satellite for the observation of the land of the European Space Agency belonging to the program of scientific missions “Earth Explorers“. The Biomass goal will be determined global distribution of forests biomass and its changes, reducing uncertainty about carbon reserves stored in the earth’s biosphere. Studying these ecosystems is crucial as the forests are the “green lungs of the earth” and every year they absorb about 8 billion of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. At the same time, processes such as deforestation And degradation forests, especially in tropical regions, cause the release of carbon stored in the forests which returns to the atmosphere. Quantify this global cycle is of fundamental importance to understand how i changes suffered by the forests impact on the terrestrial climate.
On the occasion of the launch of the biomass satellite we interviewed Simonetta CheliDirector of the observation programs of the Earth and head of Esrin, the ESA center in Frascati, in Lazio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eehmfo_y_we
What technology does satellite allow biomass to monitor?
Biomass will be the first satellite to use an instrument Synthetic opening radar (Sar) which operates in Banda P. technically, the signal produced by the antenna will have a wavelength of approximately 70 cm which stands out from the radar systems that are already active in the field of satellites for the observation of the earth. This feature will allow you to penetrate the crown of the forests and measure specific information such as theheight and the structurethe amount of carbon stored and his variations over time. The new data collected by biomass will reduce the uncertainties regarding the knowledge of carbon reserves and flows caused for example by changes in soil uses, by the degradation of forests or by their regrowth.
How long the biomass mission will last e How much did it take to set it up?
The planned life for the mission is of 5 years during which they will alternate Two operational phases:
- that tomographicwhich represents further innovation for the space observation systems of the earth. This phase will be useful to production of three -dimensional maps of forests.
- that interferometricwhich will allow you to estimate theheight and the biomass forests. During this phase, the acquisition of 5 global maps.
The history of biomass was born 20 years ago, when the initial concept was defined within the “Earth Explorers” earth observation program. In peak moments, about 700 people they worked on its development.
Which data will collect biomass and what will be their “journey” once obtained?
The mission will be made up of a single orbiting platform about 660 km from the earth’s surface. Once the data will be received from the stations on the ground, the Italian website Esa-Esrin will be responsible for processing. The data will then be distributed according to politics free and open of ESA and will support the scientific research As part of the studies on global carbon cycles. The data will also feed i climatic models who need accurate knowledge of the sources of emission and absorption of carbon. The processing algorithms have already been developed by users of the scientific community and by specialized European companies. Finally, the data will support other programs such as Redd+ from the United Nationswhich deals with dealing with the themes of deforestation, forest degradation, conservation and management of forests.
What secondary effects and technological return is expected from a program as a biomass?
Biomass will face the enormous technical challenge of the Space mapping of forest biomass: thanks to the characteristics of the radar systems, its SER SENSOR to Band p It will pass through the clouds, which generally wrap the tropical forests, and will penetrate the initial layer of the forests, allowing to estimate its biomass. In addition, the BDA RADAR P is a completely new development in the field of space applications. There is therefore a intrinsic technological gain both for the companies involved and for the scientific community.
In addition to the primary objectives of the mission, there is a series of secondary applications which will emerge once the data will be available. For example, biomass will be a research tool for the ionosphereeven if for the mission itself the ionosphere is an annoying obstacle. Biomass data will also serve the monitoring of geological structures in arid and semi-arid regions, to the tracking of Movements of the glaciers and of glacial capsin addition to tracing the Topography of areas covered by dense vegetation.
Biomass will be part of the family of Earth Explorersscientific research missions dedicated to the observation of specific aspects of the planet Earth thanks to the introduction of Innovative space technologies. The missions Earth Explorers They are selected to face the main challenges identified by the scientific community and with the potential to become operational missions after the so -called “proof of concept“.
Why is it important to make terrestrial monitoring? What is the role of spatial research in facing environmental and climatic problems that affect our society?
THE observation satellites of the earth help us “take the pulse of our planet”, that is, to constantly monitor it and collect useful data to fully understand its operation. These data are very useful for monitoring theatmospherethemarine environmentthe Earththe urban areas And agriculturalbut also the polar areas and record all the trend changes. They are then analyzed and designed by the scientific community to better understand and manage our planet, to monitor the climate change and the global warming and to seek, whenever possible, to anticipate emergencies And natural disasters:
- Early detection and monitoring: satellites such as the Meteosat series provide real -time data on meteorological models, allowing early detection of serious weather conditions such as hurricanes, fans and thunderstorms. This early alert system helps to take preventive measures to minimize damage.
- Forecast data: satellites acquire detailed information on weather conditions, including temperature, humidity and wind models. These data are essential for accurate weather forecasts, allowing authorities to predict and prepare for potential disasters.
- Response to disasters: in the case of catastrophe, the satellites provide fundamental information for response to emergencies. For example, the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission was used to map flood areas, helping rescue in the regions affected by floods.
- Climate monitoring: satellites continuously monitor the terrestrial climate, following the changes and trends that could lead to extreme weather events helping to understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- Global coverage: The satellites offer complete cover of the earth’s surface, including remote and inaccessible areas, essential to monitor and respond to weather disasters everywhere in the world.
These skills highlight the importance of satellites in improving our possibilities to predict, prepare and respond to weather disasters, saving human lives and reducing economic losses.
