FLEX joins its launch adapter

The European Space Agency’s FLEX satellite being joined to its launch adapter at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its planned launch on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time) on a Vega-C rocket.

FLEX will deliver the first global maps of vegetation fluorescence at a resolution of 300 m × 300 m to assess photosynthetic activity. The satellite is equipped with the Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer that will detect the faint fluorescence emitted by plants as they absorb sunlight during photosynthesis. Although invisible to the human eye, this subtle glow varies and can provide data about plant health and environmental conditions.