A new Earth Explorer mission "Biomass" is set to become the next in a series of satellites developed to further people's understanding of the Earth, the European Space Agency (ESA) said Tuesday.

This innovative satellite, which was selected by the ESA's Earth Observation Programme Board to be the seventh Earth Explorer mission, aims to map and monitor one of Earth's most precious resources, the ESA said in a statement.

"Biomass is an innovative new addition to the Earth Explorer satellite series," said Volker Liebig, director of the ESA's Earth Observation Programmes. It will play an important role in quantifying forest biomass, information necessary to better understand the carbon cycle.

"The satellite will be designed to provide, for the first time from space, P-band radar measurements that are optimised to determine the amount of biomass and carbon stored in the world's forests with greater accuracy than ever before," the world leading space agency added.

Biomass also has the potential to evolve into an operational system, providing long-term monitoring of forests, one of the Earth's most important natural resources, according to the ESA.

The launch of the mission is foreseen for 2020, it noted.

The Earth Explorers are a series of satellites developed to further people's understanding of the Earth.

Three missions currently in orbit are providing new insight into the Earth's cryosphere, gravity and soil moisture and ocean salinity. Future missions will provide new information on the magnetic field, wind and how clouds and aerosols affect the radiation budget. Endi

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