Satellite remote sensing permits the determination of the state of vegetation of plants simultaneously in distant areas. The paper focuses on the assessment of the usefulness of satellite data retrieved from a moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) for the determination of the growth and development of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) in the climatic conditions of Central Europe. The study is based on values of five vegetation indices – normalised difference vegetation index, enhanced vegetation index, leaf area index, fraction of photosynthetically active radiation and gross primary production – from the period 2000–2012, as well as results of measurements of rape plant height before winter and after flowering, and the onset of flowering and ripening. Low values of the standard error of the estimate (SEE) were obtained in models in relation to plant height before winter (SEE < 6 cm) and the onset of flowering (SEE < 3 days). This suggests the possibility of application of vegetation indices from the period preceding measurements and field observations in forecasting of those two characteristics of winter oilseed rape. No statistically significant covariance was found in the case of rape plant height after flowering and the onset of ripening.