Launch from French Guiana
On 15 September 2026, ESA reported the launch of FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C aboard Vega-C. After spacecraft separation, the agency received the first signals and began system checks ahead of scientific operations.
A light signal from plants
FLEX’s spectrometer is designed to record faint vegetation fluorescence when plants absorb sunlight. This signal is associated with photosynthesis. Researchers compare it with other observations to study plant activity and changes across Earth’s surface.
From measurement to map
Preparing scientific data requires instrument activation and calibration, processing measurements and comparing them with ground observations. Sentinel-3C continues observations of oceans, land, ice and the atmosphere. Together, the missions expand the measurements available to Earth researchers.
