Image: Copernicus Sentinel-3 captured a plume from the eruption of Anak Krakatau on Saturday, 5 September.

Image: FLEX and Sentinel-3C being hoisted into the launch tower

Press Release N° 45–2026 Media representatives are invited to attend the launch re-watch event for the FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer) and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites at the European Space Operations Centre (ESA/ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, on Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026.

Video: 00:47:00 On 4 September 2026, media representatives joined an online briefing ahead of the launch of ESA’s FLEX and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites. The two satellites are scheduled to launch together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time). This…

This year, take your students’ learning beyond the classroom and into space! Together with the ESERO network, ESA offers a range of interdisciplinary school-level projects designed to engage and inspire students with hands-on activities connecting space to STEM learning. Climate Detectives, Mission X, Astro Pi, CanSat and Moon Camp launch again this September and will…

Copernicus Sentinel-3 is one of the most diverse missions for measuring and monitoring Earth’s climate systems. It captures a breadth of data about the environment and has contributed substantially to what we know about climate change over the past decade. The launch of the mission’s third satellite heralds the continuity of this vital source of…

At Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, preparations for one of the year’s most anticipated Earth-observation launches are entering their final stages. FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C have now been enclosed within the protective fairing of their Vega-C rocket, bringing the two satellites one step closer to their shared journey into space.

Video: 00:01:00 Using cutting-edge technology, ESA’s FLEX mission is designed to reveal new insights into how plants function by measuring the faint fluorescence they emit when they capture light during photosynthesis. Although invisible to the human eye, this signal changes with environmental conditions and plant health – allowing scientists to assess vegetation health, and stress.…

With thousands of emergency responders conducting search-and-rescue operations following the catastrophic flash flood that struck northern Nepal on 26 August, satellite imagery is helping to reveal the scale of the inundation and devastation across the affected region.