The European Space Agency says its Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite are ready for liftoff on a shared Vega-C rocket, in a release published on 14 September 2026. ESA describes the FLEX launch as planned for 15 September 2026, one day after the publication date.

FLEX is designed to study solar-induced fluorescence, the faint glow plants emit during photosynthesis, which ESA says offers an unusual way to monitor the health of Earth's vegetation from space. Sentinel-3C continues the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission, which ESA credits with a decade of data on Earth's climate systems and environment.

According to the agency, both satellites were sealed within the protective fairing of their Vega-C rocket at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana in early September, a final step before the shared journey into space.