The Biomass SAR Instrument Protoflight Model (PFM)

Abstract:
Abstract ESA’s upcoming Biomass Earth Explorer mission will provide the first global scale and systematic measurements of the distribution of the Earth’s biomass. It uses a new type of instrument that has never before been flown in space: a P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The protoflight model (PFM) of the Biomass instrument is close to its finalization. This paper presents its architecture, design and performance.