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Ocean-Studying Satellite Outfitted With 3 JPL Instruments Readied for SoCal Launch

Published on Thursday, November 5, 2020 | 6:41 pm
 
Technicians and engineers pose in front of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite as it sits inside of its payload fairing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, ahead of its planned launch in late-November. (Credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin)

A satellite carrying three Jet Propulsion Laboratory-built instruments designed to study the Earth’s ocean levels at atmospheric conditions is undergoing final preparations ahead of its scheduled launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in just over two weeks.

The pickup truck-size Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft is slated to blast off atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Nov. 21. The satellite is the result of a collaboration among the European Space Agency, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with funding from the European Commission and technical support from France’s National Centre for Space Studies, JPL said in a written statement.

The satellite had been fitted inside its payload fairing, which is the protective nose cone that sits on top of the rocket, according to JPL.

“We’re almost there,” JPL Project Manager Parag Vaze said. “Soon, we’ll be watching the satellite on its journey into Earth orbit 830 miles above our planet.”

Once safely in orbit, Sentinel-6 will closely monitor the rise of sea levels caused by climate change, according to the statement. “What’s more, the data that it collects on sea level variations near coastlines will provide information to support coastal management and with planning for floods, while its atmospheric measurements will enhance weather and hurricane forecasts.”

The spacecraft will spend its time “collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90 percent of the world’s oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies,” the statement added.

The satellite has a twin, called Sentinel-6B, which is scheduled to follow its older sibling into space in 2025.

The Sentinel missions will extend reliable records of sea levels into a fourth decade, according to JPL.

More information on the Sentinel-6 program is available online at nasa.gov/sentinel-6.

See also:

Meet the JPL Scientists Behind the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Spacecraft

Ocean-Studying Satellite Equipped With JPL-Built Sensors Arrives at Vandenberg AFB Ahead of Launch

JPL-Built Instrument Aboard International Satellite to Gather Precise Atmospheric Measurements to Improve Weather Prediction

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