Media invitation: last chance to see ESAs Biomass satellite
22 January 2025
On 11 February, media representatives are invited to an exclusive opportunity to view ESA's Biomass satellite up close in the cleanroom at Airbus' facilities in Toulouse, France.
This prestigious event offers the media a unique chance to see ESA's latest Earth Explorer satellite before it is prepared for shipment to Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, where it is scheduled for liftoff in early April. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear about the mission firsthand from experts involved in the mission, conduct interviews, and photograph the satellite in the cleanroom.
Forests are vital to the health of the planet and the carbon cycle, absorbing and storing significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, which helps regulate the planet's climate. However, widespread deforestation releases this stored carbon back into the atmosphere, intensifying climate change.
Biomass is the first satellite to feature a radar instrument capable of penetrating the forest canopy to measure the biomass and height of forests, consistently across the globe and across different forest types.
This information will be used to work out how much biomass ? a proxy for carbon ? is being stored in forests, and, thus, yield a better understanding of how forests are changing over time.
Data from the mission will improve current assessments and future projections of the global carbon cycle, which is critical given the climate crisis.
Media are also invited to an informal dinner, prior to the event, on the evening of 10 February.
The event will take place on Tuesday 11 February 2025.
09:00 ? 10:00: Registration and welcome coffee
10:00 ? 10:10: Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes, ESA
10:10 ? 10:20: Marc Steckling, Head of Earth Observation, Science and Space Exploration, Airbus
10:20 ? 10:30: Michael Fehringer, Biomass Project Manager, ESA
10:30 ? 10:40: Chris Lloyd, Biomass Project Manager, Airbus
10:40 ? 10:50: Bjorn Rommen, Biomass Mission Scientist, ESA
10:50 ? 11:15: Q&A, which includes additional spokespeople
11:15 ? 15:30: Visits (in groups) to the cleanroom to view and photograph the Biomass satellite and opportunities for one-to-one interviews
A buffet lunch will be provided in parallel to the cleanroom group tours.
Additional spokespeople and experts present include:
Dirk Bernaerts, Earth Explorer missions Programme Manager, ESA Justin Byrne, Head of Science & Earth Exploration Systems, Airbus Dominique Gillieron, Head of Earth Observation Projects Department, ESA Klaus Scipal, Biomass Mission Manager, ESACarl Warren, Biomass Chief Engineer, Airbus
Media representatives are asked to register by 7 February 12:00 CET ? selecting and completing the relevant form at Media form ? ESA forms
Requirements for access to the Airbus site
A valid passport/ID card will be required to access the site.
Clea room access and capacity is limited to guarantee safety of visitors, satellites and operations.
Access will be granted on a first come first serve basis.
Smartphones are prohibited in the cleanroom: please make sure you bring an independent camera/ recording device.
For the cleanroom visit, please wear trousers and closed shoes (high heels not recommended).
We will be asking the media to limit their presence in the cleanroom to a maximum of 40 minutes to allow others to access.
Address
Airbus Defence and Space, 31 rue des Cosmonautes, 31400 Toulouse, France.
Please note that journalists' travel and accommodation costs will not be covered.
Airbus can provide hotel recommendations.
Biomass background information and latest news: www.esa.int/biomass
ESA Earth Observation Programmes: www.esa.int/eo
ESA: www.esa.int
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Missions/Biomass/(result_type)/images
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Directorates/Observing_the_Earth/(result_type)/images
Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Missions/Biomass/(result_type)/videos
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/(archive)/0/(type)/video
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos_for_Professionals
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
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The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe's gateway to space.?
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.?
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.?
ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.?
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.?
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int
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