ArianespaceVega-CAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Biomass
Launched
April 29, 2025 · 09:15 UTC
Image: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique vidéo du CSG–S. Martin
Summary
Biomass launched on an Arianespace Vega-C from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on April 29, 2025 at 09:15 UTC. It was Arianespace's 319th launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 6,941st orbital launch attempt. It was the 4th Vega-C flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Its tracked orbit, from May 1, 2025, was 673 × 675 km inclined 98.1°. One object from this launch is catalogued.
- Watch
- Flight VV26 | Biomass | Vega C | Arianespacearianespace
- Vol VV26 | Biomass | Vega C | Arianespacearianespace
- Volo VV26 | Biomass | Vega C I Arianespacearianespace
- Vehicle
- Vega-C · Arianespace
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)for ESA
- Milestone
- 4th Vega-C flight · 1st this yearArianespace's 319th launch2nd this yearhumanity's 6,941st orbital launch attempt92nd orbital launch attempt this year
Webcast
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Biomass · NORAD 63772 · 2025-090 · Space-Track
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 2025-090A
- Epoch
- 2025-05-01 20:10:18 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.68076197 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0001472
- Inclination
- 98.0731°
- Ascending node
- 310.0082°
- Arg. of perigee
- 63.7983°
- Mean anomaly
- 296.3373°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 35
- B*
- 0.0014967
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO.
Flight timeline
- T−0Liftoff
- T+2M25SStage 2 Separation
- T+4M31SStage 3 Separation
- T+4M43SFairing Separation
- T+7M10SKick Stage Separation
- T+8MKick Stage Burn
- T+53MKick Stage Burn
- T+57MPayload Separation
- T+1H46MKick Stage Burn
Catalogued objects
1 catalogued: 1 payload; 1 still in orbit
- Biomass · NORAD 63772 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
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.
Pad
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
52nd launch from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), 1st this year · 325th from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Local pad time at liftoff: Apr 29, 6:15 AM GMT-3, in twilight
56 launches from this pad · 336 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
144 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Guiana Space Centre, French GuianaOpen in maps
Updates
Spacecraft confirmed operational.
Show 9 earlier updates
Biomass deployed.
hitura-nobad · 4/29/2025 · source
Liftoff
hitura-nobad · 4/29/2025 · source
Tweaked T-0.
Cosmic_Penguin · 4/29/2025 · source
Official Webcast by arianespace has started
LL2 · 4/29/2025 · source
GO for launch.
Cosmic_Penguin · 3/25/2025 · source
NET early April.
Cosmic_Penguin · 2/3/2025 · source
Targeting March 2025
Nosu · 3/27/2024 · source
Launcher swapped with one for Sentinel-2C in summer 2023.
Cosmic_Penguin · 12/5/2023 · source
NET Q2 2024.
Cosmic_Penguin · 10/2/2023 · source
Questions
When did Biomass launch?
Biomass launched on April 29, 2025 at 09:15 UTC.
Where can I watch Biomass?
Coverage: Flight VV26 | Biomass | Vega C | Arianespace; Vol VV26 | Biomass | Vega C | Arianespace; Volo VV26 | Biomass | Vega C I Arianespace. Watch the replay
What rocket launched Biomass?
Vega-C, flown by Arianespace. Vega-C spec sheet
Where did Biomass launch from?
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana. Liftoff was Apr 29, 6:15 AM GMT-3 local time at the pad.
What orbit did Biomass reach?
Its tracked orbit, from May 1, 2025, was 673 × 675 km inclined 98.1°.
How many satellites did Biomass launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).