Overview
- Vega‑C flight VV30 lifted off and placed two stacked satellites into a sun‑synchronous orbit, with Sentinel‑3C deployed first and FLEX released about an hour later.
- Both spacecraft sent first signals and have entered the launch‑and‑early‑orbit commissioning phase, where controllers will check systems and prepare instruments for routine use.
- Sentinel‑3C will join the Copernicus Sentinel‑3 series to continue systematic measurements of sea‑surface temperature, ocean colour, land surface and atmospheric parameters for operational services.
- FLEX carries the FLORIS fluorescence imaging spectrometer to map faint plant fluorescence from roughly 810–820 km altitude, producing 300 m resolution photosynthesis maps to assess crop and ecosystem health.
- Avio acted as launch service operator for this VV30 mission, and teams will next perform orbital phasing so FLEX can fly in tandem with existing Sentinel‑3 satellites before Sentinel‑3C moves into its long‑term operational slot, maintaining data continuity into the 2030s.