Vega C Rocket Launches Europe's FLEX and Sentinel-3C Earth-Observation Satellites

A European Vega C rocket launched two Earth-observing satellites, FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C, from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on Sept. 14, 2026, at 9:21 p.m. EDT (10:21 p.m. local time in Kourou; 0121 GMT Sept. 15), in a mission organized by the European Space Agency (ESA). Live coverage of the launch, carried by ESA, began at 8:50 p.m. EDT (0050 GMT).

The 875-pound (397-kilogram) FLEX satellite — short for "Fluorescence Explorer" — will detect and monitor vegetation fluorescence to map plant photosynthetic activity, something no satellite currently does, according to ESA. The agency said FLEX's data will help scientists better understand the global carbon cycle and will also support agricultural management and food security amid growing demand from the world's population.

Sentinel-3C, the second satellite launched, is part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth-observation program and weighs 2,520 pounds (1,143 kilograms). It continues the Sentinel-3 series after Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B, launched in 2016 and 2018 respectively, which remain active in low Earth orbit. ESA said Sentinel-3C carries a suite of instruments that systematically measure Earth's oceans, land, ice and atmosphere, providing near-real-time information for ocean and weather forecasting.

Both satellites are scheduled to deploy at an altitude of about 509 miles (820 kilometers) and were expected to be flying freely by 116 minutes after launch.

The 115-foot-tall (35-meter) Vega C rocket, developed by ESA, debuted in July 2022 and has flown seven missions, six of them successful. Originally operated by the France-based company Arianespace, the rocket is now run by the Italian company Avio, for which this was the second launch managed.