Wikipedia

FLEX (satellite)

The FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) is a planned mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch a satellite to monitor the global steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation.[2] FLEX is the eighth mission in the Earth Explorer series of Earth observation satellites, part of ESA's FutureEO programme.[3] The mission was selected for funding in November 2015[2][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and will be launched on a Vega C rocket from Guiana Space Centre in September 2026 together with another European Earth observation satellite, Sentinel-3C.[11][12][13]

FLEX
Mission typeEarth observing satellite
OperatorESA
Websitehttps://earth.esa.int/eogateway/missions/flex
Mission duration3.5 years (planned)[1]
Spacecraft properties
BusMyriade
ManufacturerThales Alenia Space
Launch mass425 kilograms (937 lb)
Power700W
Start of mission
Launch dateSeptember 2026 (planned)
RocketVega-C
Launch siteKourou ELV
ContractorArianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSun-synchronous
Altitude814 km
Inclination98.64°
Repeat interval27 days

ESA insingia
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FORUM →

Science

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The mission's goal is global monitoring of steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation.[3] Leaf photosynthesis releases energy not required in the biochemical process in the form of light in wavelength between 640 and 800 nanometres.[2] Fluorescence is a sensitive indicator of photosynthesis in both healthy and physiologically perturbed vegetation that can be used to monitor croplands and forests.[2]

Fluorescence provides information on overall photosynthetic performance with implications for related carbon sequestration. The responsiveness of fluorescence to atmospheric, soil and plant water balance, as well as to atmospheric chemistry and human intervention in land usage, makes it a useful biological indicator in improving the understanding of Earth system dynamics.[14]

Timeline

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Development

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  • On 19 November 2015, ESA has selected FLEX as the agency's eighth Earth Explorer mission.[15]
  • In November 2016, ESA has selected Italian company Leonardo to build the main instrument (FLORIS) for the FLEX satellite.[16]
  • In 2018, during the first FLEXSense campaign, the OLCI instruments of the Sentinel-3B satellite was reprogrammed to operate in a mode simulating the future cooperations with FLEX and a parallel aerial campaign used aircraft-based observations to demonstrate aspects of the FLORIS instrument functionality.[17]
  • In January 2019, ESA has selected Thales Alenia Space as the prime contractor for the satellite and to oversee the development of the FLORIS instrument by Leonardo.[18]
  • In summer 2019, the second FLEXSense campaign took place, with operations closely following the 2018 campaign.[17]
  • In January 2022, ESA has signed a contract with Arianespace for a launch of FLEX on Vega C.[19]
  • In December 2023, Thales Alenia Space selected the UK's National Satellite Test Facility for the satellite's first comprehensive assembly, integration and test campaign.[20]

Construction

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) – Facts and Figures". ESA. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Amos, Jonathan (19 November 2015). "Flex satellite will map Earth's plant glow". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  3. 1 2 "FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer)". www.eoportal.org. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  4. ↑ de Selding, Peter B. (25 September 2015). "Panel Endorses Vegetation Fluorescence Mapper for ESA's Earth Explorer Program". Spacenews. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Kraft, S; Del Bello, U; Bouvet, M; Drusch, M; Moreno, J (2012). "FLEX: ESA's Earth Explorer 8 candidate mission". 2012 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. pp. 7125–7128. doi:10.1109/IGARSS.2012.6352020. ISBN 978-1-4673-1159-5. S2CID 7603157.
  6. ↑ Kraft, S; Bézy, J.-L; Del Bello, U; Berlich, R; Drusch, M; Franco, R; Gabriele, A; Harnisch, B; Meynart, R; Silvestrin, P (2013). "FLORIS: Phase a status of the fluorescence imaging spectrometer of the Earth Explorer mission candidate FLEX". In Meynart, Roland; Neeck, Steven P.; Shimoda, Haruhisa (eds.). Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XVII. Vol. 8889. pp. 88890T. doi:10.1117/12.2032060. S2CID 128624334.
  7. ↑ Drusch, Matthias; Moreno, Jose; Del Bello, Umberto; Franco, Raffaella; Goulas, Yves; Huth, Andreas; Kraft, Stefan; Middleton, Elizabeth M; Miglietta, Franco; Mohammed, Gina; Nedbal, Ladislav; Rascher, Uwe; Schuttemeyer, Dirk; Verhoef, Wout (2017). "The FLuorescence EXplorer Mission Concept—ESA's Earth Explorer 8". IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. 55 (3): 1273–1284. Bibcode:2017ITGRS..55.1273D. doi:10.1109/TGRS.2016.2621820. S2CID 5267592.
  8. ↑ Stoll, M.P; Buschmann, C; Court, A; Laurila, T; Moreno, J; Moya, I (2003). "The FLEX-Fluorescence Explorer mission project: Motivations and present status of preparatory activities". IGARSS 2003. 2003 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Proceedings (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37477). Vol. 1. pp. 585–587. doi:10.1109/IGARSS.2003.1293850. ISBN 978-0-7803-7929-9. S2CID 56932583.
  9. ↑ Rascher, Uwe; Gioli, Beniamino; Miglietta, Franco (2008). "FLEX — Fluorescence Explorer: A Remote Sensing Approach to Quantify Spatio-Temporal Variations of Photosynthetic Efficiency from Space". Photosynthesis. Energy from the Sun. pp. 1387–1390. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-6709-9_299. ISBN 978-1-4020-6707-5.
  10. ↑ Harnisch, Bernd; Kraft, Stefan; Bézy, Jean-Loup; Drusch, Matthias; Bouvet, Marc; Del Bello, Umberto (2017). "Fluorescence imaging spectrometer concepts for the Earth explorer mission candidate flex". International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2012. p. 72. doi:10.1117/12.2309086. ISBN 9781510616172. S2CID 125313615.
  11. ↑ "ALTIUS - ESA's ozone mission". ESA. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Evolution, Satellite (2022-01-11). "Arianespace to launch with Vega C Flex & Altius, two ESA programmes at the service of environment". Satellite Evolution. Retrieved 2025-12-31.
  13. ↑ "Announcement of opportunity for FLEX cal/val".
  14. ↑ "Fluorescence explorer (FLEX): A new technique for the observation of global vegetation photosynthesis". juser.fz-juelich.de. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  15. ↑ "New satellite to measure plant health". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  16. ↑ "Deal signed for FLEX's fluorescence finder". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  17. 1 2 "New FLEX-related campaign datasets released - Earth Online". earth.esa.int. Archived from the original on 2024-07-11. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  18. ↑ "Thales Alenia Space leads the build of photosynthesis mission". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  19. ↑ "Ride into space on Vega-C secured for FLEX and Altius". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  20. ↑ "Thales Alenia Space selects the UK's National Satellite Test Facility for FLEX satellite 1st test – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  21. ↑ "SPIE Photonics West: Fraunhofer IOF presents high-precision double slit for space spectrometer". Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  22. ↑ "FLEX instrument meets its satellite". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  23. ↑ "Three ESA-built satellites on show in France". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
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