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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. FLEX is the eighth mission in the Earth Explorer series of Earth observation satellites, part of ESA's FutureEO programme. The mission was selected for funding in November 2015 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.
The mission's goal is global monitoring of steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation. Leaf photosynthesis releases energy not required in the biochemical process in the form of light in wavelength between 640 and 800 nanometres. Fluorescence is a sensitive indicator of photosynthesis in both healthy and physiologically perturbed vegetation that can be used to monitor croplands and forests.
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.
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FLEX (satellite) AI simulator
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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. FLEX is the eighth mission in the Earth Explorer series of Earth observation satellites, part of ESA's FutureEO programme. The mission was selected for funding in November 2015 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.
The mission's goal is global monitoring of steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation. Leaf photosynthesis releases energy not required in the biochemical process in the form of light in wavelength between 640 and 800 nanometres. Fluorescence is a sensitive indicator of photosynthesis in both healthy and physiologically perturbed vegetation that can be used to monitor croplands and forests.
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.