The story

A Vega C rocket carrying the FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites is scheduled to launch from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:21 p.m. EDT on September 14. The 875-pound FLEX will detect and monitor vegetation fluorescence to map plant photosynthetic activity, something no satellite can do at the moment, according to ESA. The 2,520-pound Sentinel-3C is part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation program and will monitor oceans, land, ice and atmosphere.

FLEX's data will be important for understanding the global carbon cycle, agricultural management and food security. Sentinel-3C carries instruments that measure Earth's oceans, land, ice and atmosphere to monitor large-scale global dynamics and provides essential information in near-real time for ocean and weather forecasting. Both satellites will be deployed at an altitude of about 509 miles, flying freely by 116 minutes after launch if all goes to plan.

The 115-foot-tall Vega C debuted in July 2022 and has seven flights under its belt to date, six of them successful. This will be the second Vega C launch of 2026 and the eighth overall. The mission, designated VV30, will be the second managed solely by Italian company Avio, rather than jointly with Arianespace.