On Tuesday the European Space Agency plan to launch BIOMASS, their new Earth Explorer satellite!
ESA invited me to film the next Matt Gray is Trying with the BIOMASS Spaceflight Operations team as they practiced for the big day a few weeks ago!
Designed to get crucial info about our forests, it's the first P-Band RADAR in space.
While most will cheer, clap, & relax when the launch is over, the Satellite Operations Team are only getting started.
During this Launch & Early Orbit Phase, they gradually test and switch on the various parts of the satellite, unfold its solar panels & antennae, and steer it into its final orbit.
You can watch the launch live on Tuesday 29th April at 0915 UTC (1015 BST, 1115 CEST)
And Matt Gray is Trying: Spaceflight Operations should come out at some point next month!
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Biomass/Watch_Biomass_launch_live
@mattgrayyes no kidding about the relaxing when the launch is over
the second launch that had something I worked on was SpaceX CRS-7, which went up a bit and then exploded dramatically. I cannot tell you how it feels to wonder "oh no, did the think I worked on fall apart somehow and cause that?" (it did not)
It’s time for ESA’s BIOMASS satellite to launch!
You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/EEhmFO_Y_WE?si=WgzQOk-h5Ev5-QeJ
@mattgrayyes
On a scale from 0 to losing an SD card full of footage, how sad are you that the live stream has interlaced video?
@mattgrayyes I'm supposed to be working on my train but here I am using train wifi to watch a rocket launch...
I'm not mad tbh.
@pa3weg meh don’t care. I work in TV. TV is interlaced.
1080i50 / 1080i59.94 are standard
@mattgrayyes still? that's amazing, I thought everyone had gone to p by now!
