Both satellites successfully deployed and signals acquired from both.
Avio S.p.A / MISSION BRIEFING
Sentinel-3C & FLEX
Vega-C · Earth Science
Success
LAUNCH TIMEMISSION COMPLETETiming is subject to mission updates
Mission image · ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique vidéo du CSG–S. Martin
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.
- Mission
- Sentinel-3C & FLEX
- Mission type
- Earth Science
- Provider
- Avio S.p.A
- Target orbit
- Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Timeline
Scheduled event sequence from Launch Library 2. These are planned milestones, not confirmed telemetry. Events remain unconfirmed until a verified source reports them.
Liftoff
01:21 UTCFirst upwards movement of the rocket
SCHEDULED
Stage 2 Separation
01:23 UTCSeparation of the second stage from the first
SCHEDULED
SES
01:23 UTCStart of the second engine
SCHEDULED
Stage 3 Separation
01:25 UTCSeparation of the third stage from the second
SCHEDULED
Stage 3 Ignition
01:25 UTCThird stage engine ignites.
SCHEDULED
Fairing Separation
01:25 UTCSeparation of the payload fairing
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Separation
01:28 UTCSeparation of the kick stage from the previous stage
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Ignition
01:29 UTCStart of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Cut-off
01:38 UTCCut-off of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Ignition
02:16 UTCStart of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Cut-off
02:19 UTCCut-off of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Payload Separation
02:21 UTCFinal deployment of the payload from the rocket
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Ignition
03:07 UTCStart of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Cut-off
03:07 UTCCut-off of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Ignition
03:15 UTCStart of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Cut-off
03:16 UTCCut-off of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Payload Separation
03:17 UTCFinal deployment of the payload from the rocket
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Ignition
03:44 UTCStart of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Kick Stage Cut-off
03:46 UTCCut-off of the kick stage engine
SCHEDULED
Mission intelligence
Explore connectionsMission activity
Listening for verified changes
Activity appears when ORBITAL observes a change between source records. No historical events are invented.
Read source update
Liftoff.
Official Webcast by Avio SpA has started
GO for launch on September 15 UTC.
NET September 11
NET September 9.
NET September 1st, together with FLEX.
NET October 2026
NET September 2026. (see 02:17:55 mark)
NET June 2026
NET 2026
NET Q1 2025.
Adding launch NET October 2024
Schedule history
No changes recorded
Changes are recorded when ORBITAL retrieves data. The detection time may differ from the time the source changed its information.
Rocket
Vega-CAvio S.p.A · ItalyVega-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.
Payload
Sentinel-3C & FLEX
Payload details are described in the mission overview. No independently structured payload manifest or payload mass has been provided by the source.
Target orbit
SCHEMATIC · NOT A FLIGHT TRAJECTORY
- Orbit
- Sun-Synchronous Orbit
- Classification
- SSO
Launch site
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
- Latitude
- 5.23600°
- Longitude
- -52.77500°
- Country
- French Guiana
- Time zone
- America/Cayenne
Live & mission coverage
Official mission broadcast. Stream availability is controlled by the provider.
Independent coverage (1)
Sources
Source links and confidence are preserved with each mission. Official updates take priority when verified.
Launch Library 2high · P80
ll.thespacedevs.com · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
www.avio.com · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
www.youtube.com · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
x.com · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
centrespatialguyanais.cnes.fr · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCOfficial mission updatehigh · P100
earth.esa.int · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
database.eohandbook.com · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
www.youtube.com · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission referencemedium · P60
space.oscar.wmo.int · Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:48 UTCMission photographs are provided by the original sources. Their rights remain with their creators; consult the source before reusing an image.