Image: Copernicus Sentinel-1 captured this radar image over French Guiana – home to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, where ESA’s Biomass mission is being prepared for liftoff on 29 April onboard a Vega-C rocket.

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ESA’s state-of-the-art Biomass satellite launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on 29 April 2025 at 11:15 CEST (06:15 local time).

In orbit, this latest Earth Explorer mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle. It is the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the

On 19 April 2025, ESA marks the 21st anniversary of KUBIK, an incubator for biological samples in space. This versatile and enduring facility has advanced our understanding of biology in space for the last two decades.

ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will conduct a variety of science experiments and technology demonstrations during the Ignis mission. While the International Space Station is a home away from Earth for astronauts, it is, above all, a state-of-the-art laboratory in orbit. Its unique microgravity environment allows researchers to study phenomena that are impossible to replicate on our planet. 

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