Shining a light on plant health

It is estimated that by 2050 there could be as many as 11 billion people on Earth. Our growing global population is placing increasing demands on producing food – not only for humankind but also for the animals we farm. ESA’s FLEX mission uses novel technology to track the health and productivity of the world’s vegetation by measuring a faint fluorescent glow that plants give off as they photosynthesise.