The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully placed two satellites into orbit designed to improve the monitoring of extreme weather phenomena linked to climate change, officials reported.
اضافة اعلان
The European Vega C rocket launched carrying the "Sentinel 3C" and "FLEX" satellites from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana at 22:21 Monday (01:21 GMT Tuesday), according to an AFP journalist at the site.
The two satellites were placed into a sun synchronous orbit about two hours after liftoff.
FLEX (Fluorescence Explorer) will provide data on the impact of heatwaves on vegetation. It will monitor fluorescence the faint red light emitted by plants during photosynthesis, the process through which they absorb carbon dioxide and convert it using water and light into energy for growth while releasing oxygen into the air.
The second satellite, Sentinel 3C part of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation program will measure marine environment characteristics, including temperatures, wave heights, and ocean currents. It will also track land use and land cover to help improve agricultural productivity and prevent food crises.
Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA, said from Kourou that such missions are "essential" to help tackle "the climate change we are experiencing."
Resource: Al-Ghad.
