Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Using cutting-edge technology, ESA’s FLEX mission is designed to reveal new insights into how plants function by measuring the faint fluorescence they emit during photosynthesis. Although invisible to the human eye, this signal changes with environmental conditions and plant health – allowing scientists to assess vegetation stress.
The FLEX satellite is equipped with the Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer (FLORIS), an instrument designed specifically to detect and map this delicate glow.
By capturing these data, FLEX deepens our understanding of how carbon moves between plants and the atmosphere, and how photosynthesis influences both the carbon and water cycles. The mission also provides valuable information on plant health – a critical contribution at a time when a growing global population is putting increasing pressure on food and feed production.
Credits: ESA/ATG medialab
Access the video on the ESA video library: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/08/FLEX_for_revealing_vegetation_fluorescence
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
Using cutting-edge technology, ESA’s FLEX mission is designed to reveal new insights into how plants function by measuring the faint fluorescence they emit during photosynthesis. Although invisible to the human eye, this signal changes with environmental conditions and plant health – allowing scientists to assess vegetation stress.
The FLEX satellite is equipped with the Fluorescence Imaging Spectrometer (FLORIS), an instrument designed specifically to detect and map this delicate glow.
By capturing these data, FLEX deepens our understanding of how carbon moves between plants and the atmosphere, and how photosynthesis influences both the carbon and water cycles. The mission also provides valuable information on plant health – a critical contribution at a time when a growing global population is putting increasing pressure on food and feed production.
Credits: ESA/ATG medialab
Access the video on the ESA video library: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2026/08/FLEX_for_revealing_vegetation_fluorescence
Our main YouTube channel: youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_Conditions
