What is ESA Biomass (Earth Explorer 7)?

ESA's Biomass satellite carries a P-band synthetic aperture radar with a twelve-meter deployable mesh reflector, using long radar wavelengths that penetrate forest canopies to measure the woody trunks and branches where trees store most of their carbon. This lets scientists estimate forest carbon stocks and how they change over large areas from orbit, filling a long-standing data gap for climate and deforestation science.