The newest satellite to monitor global sea level is ready for its journey into space. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, the latest in a series of spacecraft designed to monitor the global ocean, is scheduled to launch on Saturday, Nov. 21. Will you be watching?
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, the latest in a series of spacecraft designed to monitor our oceans, is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. The satellite will be followed in 2025 by its twin, Sentinel-6B. Together, the pair is tasked with extending our nearly 30-year-long record of global sea surface height measurements. Instruments aboard the satellites will also provide atmospheric data that will improve weather forecasts, climate models, and hurricane tracking.
Named after former NASA Earth Science Division Director Michael Freilich, the U.S.-European satellite will be carried into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with liftoff targeted for 12:17 p.m. EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Tune in live for pre launch and launch broadcasts, kicking off on Friday, Nov., 20 at 3:30 p.m. EST with an update all about the science of this historic mission. Live coverage and countdown commentary will begin on Nov. 21 at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA Television and the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion, and Theta.TV.
You can watch the most recent NASA Science Live show and learn more about sea level rise and this mission here. Visit NASA's new "Rising Waters" interactive website to learn about sea level rise, how this mission will help us better understand and respond to this threat, and find many educational resources that can help you share information about this topic with others. Take a little time to delve into this IQuest as you learn more about sea level rise and how NASA satellite data is helping us better monitor these changes.
The satellite is named after Michael Freilich, the former director of NASA's Earth Science division. Freilich’s career as an oceanographer spanned nearly four decades and integrated research on Earth’s oceans, leading satellite mission development, and helping to train and inspire the next generation of scientific leaders. His training was in ocean physics, but his vision encompasses the full spectrum of Earth’s dynamics. Learn more about him and the satellite which was inspired by his legacy here.
Meet six "Super Heroes" behind the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite and hear their amazing stories as well as how they are supporting the science and engineering behind this mission here.
