Vega-C — mission imagery
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Success

Biomass

Vega-CArianespaceAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 · 09:15 AM UTCAdd to Calendar

This mission is complete.

Vehicle

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...

Height34.8 m
LEO Payload3,300 kg
Launches356
Successes312

Provider

Arianespace

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FRA • Founded 1980

Arianespace SA is a multinational company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane programme. Their vehicles...

Mission Brief

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.

PayloadBiomass
OrbitSun-Synchronous Orbit
CustomerArianespace
Stages4
PadAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Mission Timeline

14 / 14100%

Ground vector

Launch site

Site locked

Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Global range
SITE LOCK
Latitude
5.236°N
Longitude
52.775°W

Range Weather

Launch commit criteria

Clear
Watch
TrackingNo active constraints
Weather Rules

Tracking no weather issues at this time.

Primary concern
No weather issues
Rule count
0
Temperature
Not reported
Surface wind
Not reported
Window

09:15 AM UTC - 09:15 AM UTC

Schedule History

No delays or schedule changes recorded.