Jena, September 15, 2026. On Tuesday, a European Vega-C rocket successfully launched into space. On board, alongside the Sentinel-3C satellite, is the FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer) mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), which was significantly co-developed by research institutions in Thuringia.
- Event: Successful launch of the ESA satellite FLEX
- Participation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF (Jena)
- Core technology: High-resolution spectrometer for measuring plant fluorescence
- Objective: Monitoring vegetation health, drought impacts, and the global carbon cycle
The heart of the mission is a high-resolution spectrometer, in the development of which the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Jena played a key role. The components developed there enable the precise registration of extremely weak light signals from plants from an altitude of approximately 800 kilometers.
Significance for agriculture and climate research
The satellite is considered a scientifically sophisticated Earth observation mission. It directly measures how actively plants on Earth perform photosynthesis by detecting a weak fluorescence that occurs during the conversion of sunlight. The data obtained will help to assess the health status of forests and fields as well as the consequences of drought and environmental stress. This is of great importance for agriculture and environmental protection.
In the coming weeks, the instruments will be tested and calibrated in orbit before the scientific operational phase begins. By combining the FLEX data with those of the tandem-working Sentinel-3C satellite, the ESA hopes to gain new insights into the global carbon and water cycle.
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Background: Cutting-edge research from Jena for space travel
The Fraunhofer IOF in Jena has been one of the leading addresses for optical systems and precision engineering in Germany for years. Participation in international space missions like FLEX underscores the technological competence of the Thuringia region in the field of Earth observation and sensor technology.
Source:
ESA launches Flex satellite with technology from Jena into space
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.