At 03:21 CEST on September 15, 2026, Vega-C flight VV30 lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana carrying ESA's FLEX and Sentinel-3C Earth-observation satellites. The local launch time was 22:21 on September 14. ESA subsequently confirmed that both satellites had been deployed and that signals had been acquired. FLEX is designed to measure the faint fluorescence emitted by vegetation during photosynthesis, while Sentinel-3C joins the Copernicus Sentinel-3 series in sustained monitoring of oceans, land, ice, and the atmosphere. Used together, their observations can connect plant activity with the surrounding environmental conditions. The official release is dated September 15, while the launch spans September 14 and 15 depending on time zone. Deployment and signal acquisition are not presented here as completion of all in-orbit testing or the start of full science operations.
International space · Space technology
FLEX and Sentinel-3C Launch Together on Vega-C
ESA's FLEX and Sentinel-3C satellites launched together on Vega-C on September 15. Both spacecraft were deployed and acquired, beginning missions focused on vegetation fluorescence and sustained observations of oceans, land, ice, and the atmosphere.
Earth observationVega-C
Related launch missions
No linked mission.