European Astrotech is key part of ESA’s latest mission – the Biomass climate satellite – due to launch on April 29,2025
A Buckinghamshire-based SME is playing a crucial role in the upcoming launch of a pioneering international climate satellite.
A team from European Astrotech, based at Westcott, has successfully completed the delicate process of fuelling the Biomass satellite at the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, ahead of its scheduled launch on April 29th aboard an Arianespace Vega-C rocket.
Biomass is the first UK-conceived climate satellite to have also been built in the UK, with Airbus Defence and Space appointed as prime contractor. Led by the European Space Agency (ESA) under its Earth Explorer programme, the mission is also backed by the UK Space Agency.
The satellite was originally conceived by Professor Shaun Quegan from the National Centre for Earth Observation at the University of Sheffield. It is a striking structure. Featuring a 12-metre golden foil reflector, it measures 10 metres high, 12 metres wide and 20 metres long when fully extended. Weighing approximately the same as an adult elephant, Biomass is equipped with the first-ever P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) flown on a satellite. This cutting-edge technology will allow scientists to accurately measure the amount of biomass in tropical forests, including not just tree trunks but also branches - providing crucial data to assess the amount of carbon stored in the world’s forests.
The satellite will orbit Earth at an altitude of 666 kilometres, delivering a global map of forest biomass every six months. Its data will support the Global Stocktake - an essential part of the Paris Agreement’s climate tracking mechanism. The total cost of the mission is €420m (in 2016 economic conditions) and the UK has won €86m of contracts for the satellite and a further €4.8m for its operational phase. The mission is set to be a key topic at November’s world climate summit, COP30, which will take place in Brazil.
European Astrotech has been a mission partner since around 2019, providing expert services in spacecraft propulsion and propellant handling. Founded by Chris Smith in 2007, the company now has a team of 12 and an impressive track record of supporting 48 satellite launches in the US, French Guiana, China and India. The company has built up an international reputation for the highest levels of safety, flexibility and excellent service.
Chris said: “European Astrotech have been lucky enough to be involved in ESA missions such as Euclid, HERA and Galileo, but this is our first true Earth Observation satellite, and being a part of such a ground breaking spacecraft is an honour.
“ESA is instrumental in providing opportunities for collaboration between big primes and SMEs such as European Astrotech, which forge excellent business relationships going forward. European Astrotech, being a completely independent company, is able to provide efficient, cost-effective end-to-end fuelling and test services as our contribution, with a unique skill set of propulsion engineers and propellant chemists giving our customers assurance that we will always deliver.”
Jonathan Heirons, Propulsion Team Leader at European Astrotech, led the UK team on-site in Kourou. Alongside colleagues Senior Propellant Chemist Dale Lockett, Propulsion Engineer Oliver Graham and Graduate Propellant Chemist Ben Paran-Rutterford, he oversaw the final fuelling operation.
“It’s my seventh time working at the Kourou launch site,” Jonathan said ahead of the trip.
“Even with experience, it’s always an exciting moment - especially when the mission has such strong UK involvement. Two of us were in scape suits carrying out the actual propellant loading and pressurisation, with two supporting as backup and controlling the operation from the control room. We work closely with other industry partners at the launch site, such as Airbus, OHB Sweden and ESA, who conduct system checks during this final phase.”
Propellant loading is one of the final steps before encapsulating the satellite inside the launch rocket. “It’s a very careful process,” Jonathan added.
“There’s always a bit of nerves but I’ve loaded something like 19 or 20 spacecraft now. An important part of the skillset that we have is being calm!”
The European Astrotech team will be watching the launch live at 10:15am UK time on April 29th, when it will be streamed publicly via ESA Web TV - a proud moment for the small Buckinghamshire firm making a global impact.
Launch watch parties will be held across the UK, including at Airbus’s Stevenage base where Biomass was assembled, the National Space Centre in Leicester, the Life Science Centre in Newcastle, ESA’s Climate Office in Harwell, and the Innovation Zero World Congress at Olympia, London, where Space4Climate and Airbus will be exhibiting.
Learn more about the Biomass mission and the UK expertise behind it on the Space4Climate website where you can read introductory information, watch the Biomass video explainer and download a written explainer.
UK organisations contributing expertise to the Biomass satellite:
Image - The European Astrotech team at the Biomass climate satellite launch site, Kourou: From left Jonathan Heirons, Dale Lockett, Oliver Graham and Ben Paran-Rutterford. They are pictured in front of a model of the Ariane 5 rocket, flanked by international flags.
