Overview
- SpaceX launched the U.S.–European spacecraft from Vandenberg at 9:21 p.m. PST on Nov. 16, and ESA reported first contact via Canada’s Inuvik station about 90 minutes later with systems healthy.
- Operating in a 1,336-kilometer, 66-degree orbit, Sentinel-6B will map roughly 90% of ice-free oceans with near-inch accuracy using a radar altimeter and a NASA microwave radiometer.
- The mission extends an uninterrupted altimetry record begun with TOPEX-Poseidon and the Jason series, providing critical data for tracking long-term sea-level rise and improving ocean-weather forecasts.
- For about a year the newcomer will trail Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich by roughly 30 seconds to cross-calibrate before becoming the primary global reference, with EUMETSAT set to take over routine operations after commissioning.
- The program is a collaboration among NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT, NOAA, the European Commission, and CNES with costs roughly shared between the U.S. and Europe, while funding for a potential Sentinel-6C remains uncertain pending U.S. budget decisions.