BackForward Satellite: FLEX 

Satellite details
Acronym FLEX
Full name FLuorescence EXplorer
WIGOS Station Identifier ---
Satellite Description
  • Single flight unit of the FLEX programme.
  • Main mission: global maps of vegetation fluorescence to improve understanding of how much carbon is stored in plants and their role in the carbon and water cycles.
  • Based on a very high-spectral resolution imaging spectrometer that allows the decoupling of the weak fluorescence signal from the reflected sunlight background.
  • Initially FLEX will fly in tandem with Sentinel-3C which will benefit from the OLCI and SLSTR measurements.
Mass at launch 425 kg Dry mass
Power 700 W
Data access link https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/missions/flex
Data access information
  • Details on data access here
Orbit Sunsynchronous orbit Altitude 840 km
ECT 10:00 desc

 

Space agency ESA
Status Commissioning
Details on Status
(as available)
Launch 15 Sep 2026 EOL Jun 2030
Last update: 2026-09-21
Associated satellite programme and related satellites

Note: red tag: no longer operational , green tag: operational , blue tag : future

Satellite Payload

All known Instruments flying on FLEX

Acronym Full name
FLORIS FLuORescence Imaging Spectrometer
Show instrument status and calibration