Illustration of the Vega-CC VV26 rocket with the Biomass satellite during the jettisoning of its fairing. The European Space Agencys (ESA) Biomass mission is designed to provide vital information about the state of Earths forests and how they are changing, while also enhancing our understanding of the role forests play in the carbon cycle. Biomass is the first satellite equipped with a P-band synthetic aperture radar, which is capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure woody biomass, where most forest carbon is stored. These measurements serve as a proxy for carbon storage, which is the primary goal of the mission. The satellite successfully launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europes Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 29 April 2025.