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Avio S.p.A

Sentinel-3C & FLEX

Success

Vega-C

T-minus to liftoff

HOURS

MINUTES

SECONDS

Tuesday September 15 2026, 01:21:07 UTC

StatusSuccess

Scrub riskLOW

Go93%

VehicleVega-C

OrbitSun-Synchronous Orbit

PadAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

Every source for this mission in one place — news, social, references, notes & the exact timeline.

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General trajectory

7 hazard areas

Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Launching

North

352° · N

5.236, -52.775

Orbital elements (TLE)

3 element sets

Sentinel-3C & FLEX Deploy 1

Apogee828 km

Perigee805 km

Period101.2 min

Inclination98.62°

Sentinel-3C & FLEX Deploy 2

Apogee844 km

Perigee789 km

Period101.2 min

Inclination98.62°

Launch heading 352° · N from Sentinel-3C & FLEX PO.

Parking orbitSentinel-3C & FLEX PO› conemedium

1 70192U 26209A 26258.06811343 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 9997

2 70192 98.6217 324.3701 0436671 030.4448 031.5890 15.13227985 03

Deployment orbitSentinel-3C & FLEX Deploy 1medium

1 70192U 26209A 26258.09519676 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 9994

2 70192 98.6217 324.3793 0015984 030.5406 179.1287 14.22662196 04

Deployment orbitSentinel-3C & FLEX Deploy 2medium

1 70192U 26209A 26258.13620370 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 9993

2 70192 98.6173 324.3392 0038427 060.8663 000.0000 14.22671688 09

Pre-launch TLEs from Dillon's Space Page. Estimated before flight — the real orbit is confirmed post-launch.

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Mission

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.

Q's read

Weather & scrubLOW risk

Weather Go93%Wind5 m/sGusts10 m/sCloud4%Temp28°C

Hazards (6)All areas →Download pack

2437/2026space debrisSep 14, 14:30Z – Sep 14, 14:30Z
HYDROPAC 2437/26. SOUTH PACIFIC. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 0345Z TO 1330Z DAILY 31 AUG THRU 14 SEP IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 38-00.00S 178-00.00W, 37-00.00S 173-00.00W, 38-30.00S 173-00.00W, 39-30.00S 178-00.00W. B. 35-30.00S 165-00.00W, 34-30.00S 160-00.00W, 36-00.00S 160-00.00W, 37-00.00S 165-00.00W. 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 141430Z SEP 26.
Hazard card →
862/2026space debrisSep 13, 21:34Z – Sep 20, 00:57Z
NAVAREA IV 862/26. NORTH ATLANTIC. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 2134Z TO 2357Z DAILY 13 THRU 19 SEP IN AREA BOUND BY 08-58.00N 050-28.00W, 08-06.00N 047-28.00W, 03-21.00N 032-11.00W, 00-57.00N 032-55.00W, 05-44.00N 048-12.00W. 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 200057Z SEP 26.

Launch Timeline

In-flight

T+00:00:00

Liftoff

T+00:02:27

Stage 2 Separation

T+00:02:28

SES

T+00:04:32

Stage 3 Separation

T+00:04:39

Stage 3 Ignition

T+00:04:44

Fairing Separation

T+00:07:11

Kick Stage Separation

T+00:08:23

Kick Stage Ignition

T+00:17:06

Kick Stage Cut-off

T+00:55:29

Kick Stage Ignition

T+00:58:30

Kick Stage Cut-off

T+01:00:50

Payload Separation

T+01:46:19

Kick Stage Ignition

T+01:46:49

Kick Stage Cut-off

T+01:54:32

Kick Stage Ignition

T+01:54:58

Kick Stage Cut-off

T+01:56:03

Payload Separation

T+02:23:32

Kick Stage Ignition

T+02:24:58

Kick Stage Cut-off

Quick facts

VehicleVega-C

OrbitSun-Synchronous Orbit

PadAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

SiteGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana

WindowTuesday September 15 2026, 01:21:07 UTC→Tuesday September 15 2026, 01:21:07 UTC

Vehicle

FamilyVega

Height34.8 m

Diameter3 m

Stages4

ReusableNo

LEO capacity3,300 kg

Track record7/8 successful