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The development of ESA\u2019s Earth Explorer\u00a0FLEX\u00a0mission has recently passed a significant milestone: the mission\u2019s all-important, single instrument\u00a0 has been joined to its satellite platform. The video shows this delicate operation, which was carried out by spacecraft engineers at\u00a0Thales Alenia Space\u00a0in Cannes, France, following the delivery of the instrument from\u00a0Leonardo\u00a0in Florence, Italy.<\/p>\n
FLEX\u2019s fluorescence imaging spectrometer is called FLORIS for short and designed to map vegetation fluorescence around the globe and quantify photosynthetic activity and plant stress.<\/p>\n
Photosynthesis is one of the most fundamental processes on Earth \u2013 essential for sustaining life. Most people know it as the mechanism that allows plants to grow by consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. However, few may realise that as plants photosynthesise, they also emit a very faint fluorescence signal. Importantly, the signal, which is invisible to the naked eye, varies according to environmental conditions and the health of the plant \u2013 and can be used to assess plant health and stress.<\/p>\n
With its FLORIS instrument, the FLEX mission will detect and measure this faint glow from space to offer better insight into plant health.<\/p>\n
As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space led the satellite platform assembly, integration and test campaign, which took place in Thales\u2019 cleanroom in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Now that the platform and the FLORIS instrument have been integrated in Cannes, the next step is to carry out a final series of tests ahead of the launch scheduled in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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