For any space mission to launch, thousands of hours must have been spent iterating new technologies to make the spacecraft fly. The Biomass satellite, which today shared its first science data, is no exception. The probe, which carries just a single instrument on board, will perform a five-year census of all the trees on Earth to teach us more about how climate change and pests are affecting the world’s forests than we’ve ever learnt before.

Today, at the Living Planet Symposium, ESA revealed the first stunning images from its groundbreaking Biomass satellite mission – marking a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth’s forests are changing and exactly how they contribute to the global carbon cycle. But these inaugural glimpses go beyond forests. Remarkably, the satellite is already showing potential to unlock new insights into some of Earth’s most extreme environments.

Former NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman says he is interested in pursuing some of the goals he had for the agency from outside it.

Airbus executives say they are making good progress to turn around the company’s space business unit even as they consider combining it with those at two other European companies.