Avio S.p.A Vega-C Sentinel-3C & FLEX
Vega-C
Status
Success
Date
15 SEP 2026
01:21
Mission Overview
Sentinel-3C is the third satellite in the Sentinel-3 constellation, which provides high-accuracy optical, radar and altimetry data for marine and land services. The Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) satellite is a part of ESA's Earth Explorer program. The satellite will map vegetation fluorescence to quantify photosynthetic activity.
Rocket
Vega-C
Mission Type
Earth Science
Orbit
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Stages
4
Livestream
Rocket Details
Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.
Height
34.8 m
Diameter
3 m
Launch Mass
210 T
Thrust
2,974 kN
