Press Release N° 45–2026

Media representatives are invited to attend the launch re-watch event for the FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer) and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites at the European Space Operations Centre (ESA/ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, on Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026.

The International Space Summit, taking place in Paris, France, on 9 and 10 September, will bring together world leaders, ministers, industry representatives and astronauts at a pivotal moment for the future of space. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher will invite European leaders to reflect on the role Europe wishes to play in the next era of space exploration and on the level of ambition needed to help shape it.

On 3 September 2026 at 15:49 CEST, the European Space Agency's BepiColombo Mission Control Team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) received the signal they had been waiting for – BepiColombo’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) successfully separated from the spacecraft stack. This landmark achievement for the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission marks the first step of BepiColombo's long-awaited arrival at Mercury. 

On 4 September 2026, media representatives joined an online briefing ahead of the launch of ESA’s FLEX and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites.

The two satellites are scheduled to launch together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time).

This video is a recording of the English briefing.

FLEX is equipped with the Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer that will detect the faint fluorescence plants emit as they absorb sunlight during photosynthesis. Although invisible to the human eye, this subtle glow varies with plant health and environmental conditions.

In fact,

Week in images: 31 Aug - 04 Sep 2026

Discover our week through the lens

Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury.

After travelling through the inner Solar System together for eight years, BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from the rest of the stacked spacecraft on 3 September 2026. This marks the beginning of one of the most complex planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.

Broadcast live from ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, the programme includes live views from the iconic Main Control Room, expert analysis, behind-the-scenes insights, and the

Copernicus Sentinel-3 is one of the most diverse missions for measuring and monitoring Earth’s climate systems. It captures a breadth of data about the environment and has contributed substantially to what we know about climate change over the past decade. The launch of the mission’s third satellite heralds the continuity of this vital source of knowledge.

This timelapse was published by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on social media with the following caption:

Day 198 orbit 3070 — Let’s make it three!

A third spacewalk in 15 days is coming up this Tuesday 1 September... This time, it will be an all-woman spacewalk, and I'm looking forward to sharing the adventure with Jessica! (It will be her seventh!) ‍ ‍
A huge thank you to the teams once again supporting us throughout this weekend of preparation.

The Sunday Morning Science series will resume very soon, I promise!

– Getting ready for EVA-98 with Anil, with Jessica and