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Shannon-Nyquist theorem rules the signal sampling stating that the signal must be sampled at a rate of at least twice the maximum frequency present in the signal to be fully reconstructed. Compressive Sensing (CS) theory affirms that a sparse signal can be efficiently reconstructed by the acquisition of a number of samples far below the minimal one dictated by Nyquist theorem, thus providing a new approach to data acquisition. CS technique is based on the concept of sparsity. The information rate of a continuous 'sparse' signal may be much smaller than suggested by its bandwidth.

BIOMASS is a polarimetric P-band (435 MHz) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in a dawn-dusk low Earth orbit. Its principal objective is to measure biomass content and biomass change in all the Earth’s forests. The launch of BIOMASS is envisaged for around 2020, with the mission expected to last around five years.

The Biomass satellite is a polarimetric P-band (435 MHz) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in a dawn-dusk low-Earth orbit. Its principal objective is to measure biomass content and biomass change in all of Earth’s forests. The mission launch is envisaged around 2024, for a duration of five years.

XIPE is designed to be launched with a VEGA-C vehicle into an orbit of 550 km and <6° inclination. With this orbit, eclipses last about 35 minutes. Due to remaining spacecraft fragments the mission is planned to end by controlled re-entry. The baseline ground station is Kourou either for S/S or S/X telemetry band, albeit Malindi (or Singapore) is additionally available, if necessary, for additional downloading capability in case of particularly bright sources. The mission duration is 3+2 years.