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Deployment of ΦINIX-1 Drag Sail following Vibration test

Drag sails are a cost-effective and reliable method for accelerating the deorbit of small satellites, especially CubeSats, at the end of their mission lifetime. This video showcases the deployment of the ΦINIX-1 engineering qualification model drag sail following a rigorous vibration test.

Designed and developed by ΦINIX-1, a student team from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, this lightweight, compact, and deployable sail is integrated into a CubeSat. The drag sail was subjected to vibration loads mimicking the harsh environment expected during launch, one of the most critical phases for any mechanism.

Captured at the ESA’s CubeSat Support Facility (CSF), this sped-up video was recorded during the March 2025 test window of ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! Test Opportunities. This programme offers student teams support with the preparation and execution of environmental testing of their student-designed and built hardware through dedicated access to the CSF.

The video provides a detailed look at the deployment process, highlighting the technical prowess and innovative design of the drag sail. This testing phase marked a significant milestone for the team, offering valuable hands-on experience.

The ΦINIX-1 project perfectly aligns with international efforts to safeguard space from debris. Earth's orbit is becoming increasingly congested with defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragmented debris – all posing collision risks to operational missions. In line with ESA and ESA Academy’s vision, these brilliant students have taken a bold step in supporting a sustainable orbital environment through the development and testing of a CubeSat drag sail.

Biomass: from Europe to French Guiana

ESA’s Biomass satellite has been at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana since early March, undergoing final preparations for launch aboard a Vega-C rocket. This timelapse video captures key stages of its journey — from its arrival in Kourou to its installation in the launch tower.

Once in orbit, this latest Earth Explorer mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle.

Biomass launch campaign footage - Vega-C VV26

Carrying a novel P-band synthetic aperture radar, the Biomass mission is designed to deliver crucial information about the state of our forests and how they are changing, and to further our knowledge of the role forests play in the carbon cycle.

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 5335

Rosette Nebula

Planetary nebula NGC 2899

Mars (December 2024)

Biomass opens up

A few days after ESA’s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite has been launched and after its very first health checks in orbit have been done, a series of complex manoeuvres are carried out to deploy its 12-metre diameter mesh reflector, which is supported by a boom, which is 7.5 metres long.

The deployment of the boom is carried out in three carefully planned separate stages, each of which takes about seven minutes. However, only one step is carried out per day and during selected passes that offer maximum coverage from the ground stations. This ensures that each step of the boom deployment is full ‘visible’ to the satellite operators.

Once the boom is fully extended above the satellite, another step opens up the fine wire mesh antenna, like an umbrella. This takes around 20 minutes and is a critical phase that has to be carried out during a pass that offers 50% visibility of the deployment process to the ground stations.

The reflector transmits the Biomass P-band radar’s footprint onto Earth’s surface and receives the returned signal, which carries information about the carbon content of forests.

Lifting the canopy on Earth’s forests

ESA’s state-of-the-art Biomass mission has been designed to shed new light on the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle. It is the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the radar signal can slice through the forest canopy and whole forest layer to measure the ‘biomass’, meaning the woody trunks, branches and stems, which is where trees store most of their carbon.

Biomass separates from Vega-C

ESA’s Biomass satellite is launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a Vega-C rocket. The satellite is released into orbit about one hour after liftoff, after which it opens its solar panel.
Once in orbit, this latest Earth Explorer mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle.

Biomass on Vega-C

ESA’s Biomass satellite is launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a Vega-C rocket. The rocket fairing protects the satellite during liftoff but is jettisoned soon after.
Once in orbit, this latest Earth Explorer mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle.