European Space Agency (THIS) reported, that the two newest Earth remote sensing satellites – FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C – have successfully arrived at Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana.
Both devices were delivered by cargo ship from Nice (France) to the port of Pariacabo, after which they were transported to the technological site of the cosmodrome for the start of an intensive 8-week pre-launch campaign. The joint launch of the satellites is planned for September 2026 year.
Mission details and launch features
Rocket: The spacecraft will be launched into orbit using an upgraded European Vega-C rocket, which is characterized by increased load capacity.
Configuration in the fairing: The satellites will fly together. Sentinel-3C is close in mass 1250 kg will be integrated at the top of the payload and will separate first, and the lighter FLEX will be located below it.
Stages of preparation: Over the next two months, ESA engineers and the manufacturing company Thales Alenia Space will carry out the final unpacking, full testing of all systems, refueling and sorting under the fairing.
Both satellites will operate in the same sun-synchronous orbit (~815 km), which will allow them to function in synergy:
FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer): ESA's dedicated scientific mission to study plant health. Thanks to the FLORIS fluorescence spectrometer, it will record the weak infrared glow of plants during photosynthesis, which will allow estimating the level of vegetation stress and global biomass reserves.
Copernicus Sentinel-3C: The third satellite of the European Copernicus program series. It will measure the temperature and level of the World Ocean, sea ice thickness, the color of the ocean, and will also monitor forest fires and the state of large inland water bodies on land.
Source: https://www.esa.int