The Vega C rocket, operated by Avio S.p.A., is scheduled to launch the European Space Agency's Sentinel-3C and FLEX satellites on the VV30 mission from the ELV launch pad at Kourou, French Guiana, at 01:21 UTC on Sept. 15, 2026, with an instantaneous launch window.

Sentinel-3C, weighing 1,143 kg, is the centerpiece of the mission and one of four Sentinel-3 Earth observation satellites developed under ESA's Copernicus Programme. The earlier Sentinel-3A and 3B launched from Plesetsk, Russia, in 2016 and 2018 aboard Khrunichev Rockot launch vehicles.

The Vega C program has a mixed record: the Pleiades Neo 5 & 6 mission failed on Dec. 21, 2022, but the last five missions, including Sentinel-1C, succeeded, giving the rocket seven successes in eight attempts. VV30 is the second Vega C launch of 2026 after the SMILE mission on May 18.