Success
Biomass
Earth Science
Arianespace(ASA)CommercialVega-C
SSOorbit
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.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Replay
Flight Timeline
- T+00:00Liftoff
- T+02:25Stage 2 Separation
- T+04:31Stage 3 Separation
- T+04:43Fairing Separation
- T+07:10Kick Stage Separation
- T+08:00Kick Stage Burn
- T+53:00Kick Stage Burn
- T+57:00Payload Separation
- T+1:46:00Kick Stage Burn
Links
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#6,941
ASA Mission
#319
Pad Launch
#52
Location Launch
#325
Designator
2025-090
Launch Window
NET
Apr 29, 2025, 9:15 AM
Precision
Second
Schedule Changes
1 update
Vega-C Specs
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 by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.
Length
34.8 m
Diameter
3 m
Launch Mass
210 t
Thrust
2,974 kN
LEO Capacity
3,300 kg
SSO Capacity
2,230 kg
Launch Cost
$48M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2022
Fastest Turnaround
2mo 27d
Total Launches
7
Successful
6
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
5
Maiden flight: Jul 13, 2022
Social Flight Log
- Apr 29, 2025, 10:45 AM
Spacecraft confirmed operational.
Source - Apr 29, 2025, 10:25 AM
Biomass deployed.
Source - Apr 29, 2025, 9:16 AM
Liftoff
Source - Apr 29, 2025, 9:04 AM
Tweaked T-0.
Source - Apr 29, 2025, 8:53 AM
Official Webcast by arianespace has started
Source - Mar 25, 2025, 9:48 AM
GO for launch.
Source - Feb 3, 2025, 9:14 AM
NET early April.
Source - Mar 27, 2024, 10:48 AM
Targeting March 2025
Source - Dec 5, 2023, 2:40 PM
Launcher swapped with one for Sentinel-2C in summer 2023.
Source - Oct 2, 2023, 11:26 AM
NET Q2 2024.
Source - Jul 10, 2023, 1:56 PM
NET April 2024
Source - Nov 7, 2022, 10:53 AM
NET 2024
Source - Nov 7, 2022, 10:53 AM
NET 2024
Source
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
ELA-1, now named Ensemble de Lancement Vega (short ELV), is a launch pad at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana. It has been used to support launches of the Europa rocket, Ariane 1, Ariane 3, and is currently used to launch Vega rockets.
Total Launches
55
Orbital Attempts
55
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 25d
Arianespace
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 launch exclusively from French Guiana in South America.
Founded
1980
Administrator
CEO: David Cavaillolès
Total Launches
326
Successful
311
Failed
15
Pending
29
Consecutive Success
14
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
The Guiana Space Centre is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
Timezone
America/Cayenne
Local Launch Time
Apr 29, 2025, 6:15 AM
Total Launches
333
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
5.1690, -52.6903