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Vega-C: Biomass

Biomass is an European Space Agency mission designed to measure the density of carbon stored in the world's forests. The spacecraft, built by Airbus Defence and Space, features the first civilian P-band synthetic aperture radar as well as a 12m-diameter deployable reflector from L3Harris made of over 900 km of gold-coated molybdenum 25µm wire. With a minimum operational lifetime of 5 years in its 666km 6am/6pm sun-synchronous orbit, the global coverage achieved every 9 months allows to precisely monitor the evolution of forests over time.

Tuesday, 29 April 202509:15 UTC
Vega-C: Biomass

Mission Data

Arianespace
🇪🇺ArianespaceEst. 1980
Launch VehicleVega-C
Vehicle FamilyVega
Vehicle Record7 of 8 launches (87.5%)
Provider TypeCommercial
Agency Record313 successes / 15 failures (95%)
Success Streak16 consecutive
Mission TypeEarth Science
Target OrbitSun-Synchronous Orbit
Launch PadAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
LocationGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana GUF
Orbital Launches This Year#92
Agency Launches This Year#2
Launches From This Pad56
Launches From This Site336
Status Note

The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).

About Vega-C

Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.

Launch updates

  1. Spacecraft confirmed operational.

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  2. Biomass deployed.

  3. Liftoff

  4. Tweaked T-0.

  5. Official Webcast by arianespace has started

  6. GO for launch.

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  7. NET early April.

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  8. Targeting March 2025

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  9. Launcher swapped with one for Sentinel-2C in summer 2023.

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  10. NET Q2 2024.

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Launch Site

Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) · 5.2360°N 52.7750°W

Launch data from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs.