Vega C set to launch the ESA Sentinel-3C and FLEX missions from Kourou

Date:
Sun, 13 Sep 2026 22:45:53 +0000

Description:
Avio S.p.A., the Italian prime contractor, launch service provider, and
launch operator for the Vega The post Vega C set to launch the ESA
Sentinel-3C and FLEX missions from Kourou appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Avio S.p.A., the Italian prime contractor, launch service provider, and
launch operator for the Vega C light satellite launcher, is poised to fly the VV30 mission with the European Space Agencys Sentinel-3C and FLEX spacecraft riding aboard a single Vega C rocket from the ELV launch pad at Kourou,
French Guiana.

The launch is currently scheduled for 01:21 UTC on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with an instantaneous launch window.

The Vega C will take a northerly path after liftoff to place its payloads
into a sun-synchronous orbit inclined 98.6 degrees to the Equator and around 810 km altitude. This orbit will enable the Sentinel-3C and FLEX payloads to observe the entire surface of the Earth, as well as passing over a given spot on our planet at the same local time daily.

The VV30 launch will last 116 minutes from liftoff to the final payload separation. Sentinel-3C will separate at T+ 1:00:49, just after the second ignition of the AVUM+ fourth stage at T+55:28. FLEX will separate at T+1:56:03, and this will be followed by a fifth and final burn for stage disposal, in keeping with best practice for reducing the space debris hazard. The Sentinel-3C satellite after unpacking at Kourou, French Guiana. (Credit: ESA/CNES/Avio)

The 1,143 kg Sentinel-3C satellite, the centerpiece of this mission, is one
of four Sentinel-3 family earth observation satellites developed as part of ESAs Copernicus Programme. The first two satellites, 3A and 3B, flew from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia in 2016 and 2018, respectively, aboard Khrunichev Rockot launch vehicles based on the SS-19 ICBM.

Sentinel-3C and 3D will extend the original Sentinel-3 mission as the 3A and 3B satellites age out, carrying the Sentinel-3 programs data record into the 2030s. The Sentinel-3 satellites are equipped with a common suite of instruments to observe Earth with various tools.

A sea and land surface temperature radiometer can measure global sea temperatures to within 0.3 degrees Celsius, measuring in the visible, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. An ocean and land color instrument uses five cameras to provide a wide field of view, and is a medium-resolution imaging spectrometer capable
of measuring in 21 bands from 400 nm to 1020 nm. The FLEX satellite join with its launch adapter in Kourou, French Guiana. (Credit: ESA/CNES/Avio)

A synthetic aperture radar altimeter measures topography of bodies of ice and water, including sea ice, ice sheets, rivers, and lakes, with a 300 m resolution and a total range error of up to three centimeters. The radar instrument measures in the C and Ku bands and uses a microwave radiometer for atmospheric correction; it also uses Doppler orbitography and radio positioning integrated with a satellite receiver for orbital positioning.

The Sentinel-3 satellites also use a microwave radiometer to measure water vapor, thermal radiation emitted by the Earth, and cloud water content. These satellites also feature a laser retroreflector which not only provides an accurate orbital position of the spacecraft but also can obtain accurate topography of water features when used with other instruments. Finally, the Sentinel-3C is equipped with a global navigation satellite system receiver.

Sentinel-3C arrived at the launch site in July 2026, along with the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) payload manifested with it, and will be joined
by Sentinel-3D in orbit in due course. But there is another payload on this mission also aligned with ESAs environmental observation priorities. The Sentinel-3C and FLEX payloads just before encapsulation in their protective fairing. (Credit: ESA-M. Pedoussaut)

The 397 kg FLEX satellite, like Sentinel-3C built by Thales Alenia Space, is equipped with the Floris fluorescence imaging spectrometer. This instrument will measure vegetation fluorescence on a global scale. When plants convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into oxygen, their photosynthetic activity is not visible to the naked eye, but is visible to the Floris instrument.

Scientists will use FLEX measurements to determine plant stress and health. These measurements will be used to determine plant photosynthesis effects on Earths carbon and water cycles. Together, the FLEX and Sentinel-3C missions will add to the existing European portfolio of Earth science missions.

This flight is only the second for the Vega C program since Avio took full responsibility for Vega launch services from Arianespace. It is also the second Vega C launch of 2026, after the SMILE mission on May 18. The VV30 mission will be followed by the IRIDE Mission 2, Space Belt, and IRIDE
Mission 1 flights, also currently scheduled to fly in 2026.

The Vega C program has a mixed record, with the Pleiades Neo 5 & 6 mission failing on Dec. 21, 2022. The last five Vega C missions, including the Sentinel-1C satellite, all succeeded, giving the rocket a record of seven successes in eight attempts to date.

(Lead image: The Vega VV30 mission at the launch pad. Credit: ESA M. Pedoussaut)

The post Vega C set to launch the ESA Sentinel-3C and FLEX missions from Kourou appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/09/vega-c-launch-sentinel-3c-flex/


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