Over the last four months, ESA’s European Space Operations Centre has been buzzing as over a hundred persons had but one word never off their lips: “Biomass”, whose launch is scheduled for 29 April aboard the Vega-C launcher.

Engineers and scientists. From ESA, partners and industry. From the satellite’s manufacturer and instrument teams. Specialists in satellite operations, ground segment, flight dynamics, software, and networks. All of them, gathered for the ritual exercise that preceeds every launch: the "simulation campaign".

Its goal? To mould this diverse group into a cohesive unit capable of handling the satellite's first moments in space.