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On 4 September 2026, media representatives joined an online briefing ahead of the launch of ESA’s FLEX and the Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites. The two satellites are scheduled to launch together aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 15 September at 03:21 CEST (14 September at 22:21 local time). This video is a recording of the English briefing.

Trends in Arctic sea ice thickness from 2011–2025 Sentinel-3’s Synthetic Aperture Radar Altimeter (SRAL) provides data on sea-level rise, supporting the long-term datasets of missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 and Jason. The introduction of high-precision altimetry has enabled scientists to establish the rate of sea-level rise, which stands at a global average of 3.64 mm per year since 1999, and is accelerating.

Home News BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival begins - full replay Video: 02:31:10 Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury. After travelling through the inner Solar System together for eight years, BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from the rest of the stacked spacecraft on 3 September 2026.

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3 September 2026 Mercury Transfer Module separation Rewatch ESA's livestream 14:52 BST / 15:52 CEST Acquisition of signal via two Estrack deep space antennas, in Cebreros (Spain) and Malargüe (Argentina), have confirmed the successful separation of BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) from the spacecraft stack. Current telemetry indicates all systems are nominal, and MPO's solar panels are charging the spacecraft's batteries.

This sprawling cosmic vista and subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month comes from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is the largest of the small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. At just 160 000 light-years away, the LMC offers a close look at highly active stellar birthsites like the nebula shown here. This nebula is named LHA 120-N44, or N44 for short, and it’s located in the constellation Dorado.

Hubble in free orbit “The most intriguing part to me is that this seems to have just formed recently,” said Amy. “The question is, why did it suddenly form now when we haven’t seen one before?” Further study is needed from Hubble and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, as well as analysis of computer models, to understand how the decagon formed, how long it may last, and how it compares to the long-lived hexagon in the north.

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At Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, preparations for one of the year’s most anticipated Earth-observation launches are entering their final stages. FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C have now been enclosed within the protective fairing of their Vega-C rocket, bringing the two satellites one step closer to their shared journey into space.

Sophie and Jessica switched their spacesuits to battery power at 14:41 CEST, officially beginning the extravehicular activity (EVA), before exiting the Quest airlock into the vacuum of space. After leaving the airlock, Sophie and Jessica made their way to separate work sites. Sophie translated to the forward port of the Station’s Harmony module, where she replaced a failed retroreflector, a device used by the spacecraft as a navigational aid during rendez-vous and docking operations.