Sentinel-6A (Michael Freilich) – Falcon 9 (B1063.1) – Vandenberg SLC-4E – 21.11.2020 17:17 UTC

[tnt22]

 Michael Baylor @nextspaceflight 55 мин. назад

Falcon first stage returning to SLC-4 after a successful launch of Sentinel 6 from Vandenberg, Calif. #SpaceX

I will be adding this to my list of top five best remote camera images.

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/sentinel-6/2020/11/21/sentinel-6-michael-freilich-satellite-in-earth-orbit-mission-begins-to-map-sea-levels/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/kennedy/2020/11/21/sentinel-6-michael-freilich-satellite-in-earth-orbit-mission-begins-to-map-sea-levels/

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite in Earth Orbit, Mission Begins to Map Sea Levels

Linda Herridge
Posted Nov 21, 2020 at 4:10 pm


A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite launches on Nov. 21, 2020, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo credit: SpaceX

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, launched at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST) on Nov. 21, 2020, from Space Launch Complex-4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California.


A SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets climbs upward after launching on Nov. 21, 2020, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Onboard is the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite. Photo credit: SpaceX

Following launch, the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage separated and returned to Earth for a vertical landing at VAFB. After arriving in orbit, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite separated from the rocket's second stage and unfolded its twin sets of solar arrays. Ground controllers successfully acquired the satellite's signal, and initial telemetry reports showed the spacecraft in good health. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will now undergo a series of exhaustive checks and calibrations before it starts collecting science data in a few months' time.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is a U.S.-European collaboration and one of two satellites that compose the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission.

Agencies participating in this mission include the European Space Agency, the European Commission, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), SpaceX, NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The launch was managed by NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"NASA is but one of several partners involved in Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, but this satellite speaks to the very core of our mission," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Whether 800 miles above Earth with this remarkable spacecraft or traveling to Mars to look for signs of life, whether providing farmers with agricultural data or aiding first responders with our Disasters Program, we are tirelessly committed not just to learning and exploring, but to having an impact where it's
needed."


The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft separates from the SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage on Nov. 21, 2020. The spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4# at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo credit: NASA

The spacecraft is named in honor of the late Michael Freilich, former director of NASA's Earth Science Division, who was a leading figure in advancing ocean observations from space. Freilich passed away Aug. 5, 2020. His close family and friends attended the launch of the satellite that now carries his name.

Now in orbit, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will collect sea level measurements down to the centimeter for 90% of the world's oceans. The world's latest Earth-observing satellite will begin a five-and-a-half-year prime mission to collect the most accurate data yet on global sea level and how our oceans are rising in response to climate change. The mission also will collect precise data of atmospheric temperature and humidity that will help improve weather forecasts and climate models.

"The Earth is changing, and this satellite will help deepen our understanding of how," said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science Division. "The changing Earth processes are affecting sea level globally, but the impact on local communities varies widely. International collaboration is critical to both understanding these changes and informing coastal communities around the world."

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich contains a suite of instruments to support its science goals. A Radar Altimeter will bounce signals off the ocean surface. Sea surface height will be determined based on the time it takes each pulse to travel from the satellite to the ocean and back again.

An Advanced Microwave Radiometer will retrieve the amount of water vapor between the satellite and ocean, which affects the travel speed of radar pulses. Radio Occultation Antennas will measure the delay of radio signals between Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and global navigation satellites as they slice through different layers of the atmosphere.

Other onboard instruments will be used to precisely determine the satellite's position, such as the Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) instrument. DORIS measures the radio signals from 55 global ground stations that compose the International DORIS service. The DORIS instrument aboard Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich measures the Doppler shift of the radio beacons' frequencies to precisely determine its line-of-sight velocity. A Laser Retroreflector Array located on the Earth-facing plate of the spacecraft includes nine precisely shaped mirrors that reflect laser beams back to their point of origin on the ground. Also on the spacecraft are S-band and X-band antennas, and Solar Array supply power.

[tnt22]

https://www.spacex.com/updates/sentinel-6-michael-freilich/index.html

NOVEMBER 21, 2020
SENTINEL-6 MICHAEL FREILICH MISSION

On Saturday, November 21 at 9:17 a.m. PST, SpaceX launched the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth and landed on Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The spacecraft deployed approximately 58 minutes after liftoff.

[tnt22]

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-6/New_Copernicus_satellite_to_monitor_sea-level_rise_launched

New Copernicus satellite to monitor sea-level rise launched
21/11/2020

The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite has been launched into orbit around Earth on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Using the latest radar altimetry technology, this new satellite is set to  provide a new overview of ocean topography and advance the long-term record of sea-surface height measurements that began in 1992 – measurements that are essential for climate science, for policy-making and, ultimately, for protecting the lives of millions at risk of sea-level rise.

Carrying the 1.2 tonne Sentinel-6 satellite, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US, at 17:17 GMT (18:17 CET, 09:17 PST) on 21 November. The satellite was delivered into orbit just under an hour after liftoff and contact was established at the ground station in Alaska at 19:49 CET.

(2:23)
Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich liftoff replay
Access the video

ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, said, "I'm extremely proud to have seen Copernicus Sentinel-6 liftoff this evening and know that it's well on its way to starting its mission of continuing the measurements of sea level that are so needed to understand and monitor the worrying trend of rising seas. I would not only like to thank the ESA teams that have worked so hard to get to this point, but also the EC, Eumetsat, NASA, NOAA and CNES, and, of course, we very much look forward to further fruitful cooperation between our respective organisations."

With millions of people living in coastal communities around the world, rising seas are at the top of the list of major concerns linked to climate change. Monitoring sea-surface height is critical to understanding the changes taking place so that decision-makers have the evidence to implement appropriate policies to help curb climate change and for authorities to take action to protect vulnerable communities.

Over the last three decades, the French–US Topex-Poseidon and Jason mission series served as reference missions, and in combination with ESA's earlier ERS and Envisat satellites, as well as today's CryoSat and Copernicus Sentinel-3, they have shown how sea level has risen about 3.2 mm on average every year. More alarmingly, this rate of rise has been accelerating; over the last few years, the average rate of rise has been 4.8 mm a year.


Measuring sea-level change

Now in orbit, Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will soon pick up the baton and extend this dataset – a dataset that is the 'gold standard' for climate studies. The mission comprises two identical satellites launched sequentially – so in five years, Copernicus Sentinel-6B will be launched to take over. The mission as a whole will ensure the continuity of data until at least 2030.

Each satellite carries a radar altimeter, which works by measuring the time it takes for radar pulses to travel to Earth's surface and back again to the satellite. Combined with precise satellite location data, altimetry measurements yield the height of the sea surface.

The satellites' instrument package also includes an advanced microwave radiometer that accounts for the amount of water vapour in atmosphere, which affects the speed of the altimeter's radar pulses.


Copernicus Sentinel-6 in action
Access the video

While heritage has been key to the mission's design, Sentinel-6 brings, for the first time, synthetic aperture radar into the altimetry reference mission time series. To ensure that no bias is introduced into the time series, the radar instrument operates in a continuous burst mode, simultaneously providing conventional low-resolution mode measurements and the improved performance of synthetic aperture radar processing.

To ensure that the data time series is continuous despite the change of instrument technologies, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is spending its first year in orbit flying just 30 seconds behind Jason-3.


Copernicus Sentinel-6 orbital tracks

Orbiting at an altitude of over 1300 km and reaching 66°N and 66°S, Sentinel-6 provides sufficient measurements to map the height of the sea surface over 95% of the world's ice-free oceans every 10 days.

While Sentinel-6 is one of the European Union's family of Copernicus missions, its implementation is the result of a unique cooperation between the European Commission ESA, Eumetsat, NASA and NOAA, with contribution from the CNES French space agency.

The European Commission's Director-General for Defence Industry and Space, Timo Pesonen, said, "We are very pleased to welcome this newcomer to the EU's fleet of Copernicus Sentinel satellites. Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will enable delivering enhanced products and information concerning the oceans and the atmosphere to improve the daily lives of our citizens. The arrival of this satellite is another success for Copernicus, for Europe, for all mission partners and worldwide."

ESA has been responsible for the development of the Poseidon-4 radar altimeter and development of the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, as a whole. It is also responsible for the procurement of Copernicus Sentinel-6B on behalf of the European Commission and Eumetsat.


Copernicus Sentinel-6 on its way

Transfer of ownership goes to the EC at the point of liftoff. ESA takes care of the early orbit phase as well as in-orbit verification planning, and supports flight operations performed by Eumetsat.
Eumetsat is responsible for the development of the ground segment and for operations after the launch and early orbit phases. Eumetsat processes the data and delivers the data products services to European users.

Eumetsat's Director General, Alain Ratier, said, "Data from Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will be the most accurate yet and will be used to gain a deeper understanding of global sea-level rise, a key indicator of climate change. The data will also be used for weather forecasting, from improving the accuracy of seasonal forecasts to predicting the tracks of hurricanes and cyclones."

NASA has the responsibility for the launch services, the development of the microwave radiometer, the laser retroreflector and GNSS radio occultation receiver. It also provides ground segment support and contributes to the operations and data processing in the US. NASA and NOAA share responsibility for the distribution of data products to users in the US.

"Mike Freilich helped ensure NASA was a steadfast partner with scientists and space agencies worldwide, and his love of oceanography and Earth science helped us improve the understanding of our beautiful planet," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's Associate Administrator for Science at the Agency's Headquarters in Washington. "This satellite, so graciously named for him by our European partners, will carry out the critical work Mike so believed in – adding to a legacy of crucial data about our oceans and paying it forward for the benefit of future generations."

[tnt22]

К #179

 Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 1 ч. назад

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich and the Falcon 9 second stage are now cataloged in the targeted 1308 x 1327 km x 66.1 deg orbit,  similar to the orbit used by the previous Jason oceanography satellites

[lev_g]

Третий пуск месяца и третий пуск новой ступени. Значит ждать их повтора в этом году, вероятно, не стОит

Судьба 1061 и 1062 известна - повезут следующую экспедицию на МКС и следующий Навстар, так что их повтора в этом году ждать точно не стоит. 1063 в теории еще не зафрахтована, но конечно вероятность повторного полета за оставшееся время - исчезающие мала.

[tnt22]

 NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs @NOAASatellitePA 8 ч. назад

#SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: As the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base this morning, another satellite—@NOAA's #GOES17—caught the launch from its perspective in orbit; 22,300 miles up. http://go.usa.gov/x7vfx #SeeingTheSeas #Sentinel6

(0:04)

[tnt22]

 Gavin - SpaceXFleet.com @SpaceXFleet 5 ч. назад

Sentinel-6: NRC Quest appears to have finished fairing recovery operations and has departed the splashdown site.

Expected to arrive at the Port of Los Angeles around 7:30 am local time tomorrow (22nd) but might to be a little later.

We won't know the outcome until they arrive.

[Air]

[sas]

Это научная миссия, причём EUMETSAT. Не пудрите людям мОзги.

Да кто спорит-то. Но данные-то, обработанные учеными для научных задач, берут для прикладного применения...

[zandr]

https://vk.com/spacex?w=wall-41152133_267083

Запуск миссии SpaceX Sentinel-6
Немного статистики:
— 1-й полёт ускорителя Falcon 9 B1063
— 3-я посадка на площадку LZ-4
— 16-й запуск SpaceX с площадки SLC-4E
— 21-я успешная посадка ускорителя на сушу
— 22-й запуск этого года для SpaceX
— 66-я успешная посадка 1-й ступени
— 74-я успешная миссия компании подряд
— 99-й пуск Falcon 9
— 100-я миссия для Falcon 9 (включая Amos-6 и IFA)
— 107-й запуск компании SpaceX.

 Рекорды:
— Самое большое количество запусков компании SpaceX осуществлённых за год (22). Продолжение следует...

[Старый]

Джентльмены, а Флакон вывозят с плитой потому что СК рассчитан на Хэви Флакон и плита закрывает две боковые дырки?

[DYF]

Джентльмены, а Флакон вывозят с плитой потому что СК рассчитан на Хэви Флакон и плита закрывает две боковые дырки?

Хэви тоже вывозят с плитой

[Старый]

Джентльмены, а Флакон вывозят с плитой потому что СК рассчитан на Хэви Флакон и плита закрывает две боковые дырки?

Хэви тоже вывозят с плитой

А на эту площадку хоть раз вывозили?

[lev_g]

Джентльмены, а Флакон вывозят с плитой потому что СК рассчитан на Хэви Флакон и плита закрывает две боковые дырки?

Хэви тоже вывозят с плитой

А на эту площадку хоть раз вывозили?

На эту - нет. Единственная площадка приспособленная под FH - LC–39A в KSC

[lev_g]

Третий пуск месяца и третий пуск новой ступени. Значит ждать их повтора в этом году, вероятно, не стОит

Судьба 1061 и 1062 известна - повезут следующую экспедицию на МКС и следующий Навстар, так что их повтора в этом году ждать точно не стоит. 1063 в теории еще не зафрахтована, но конечно вероятность повторного полета за оставшееся время - исчезающие мала.

Оказывается уже (по слухам) - повезет DART в след. июле.

[DYF]

А на эту площадку хоть раз вывозили?

Нет. Heavy только на 39A. Остальное - фотошоп


Но военные по NSSL 2 контракту в августе перечислили уже $127млн из $152млн планируемых на "Launch Service Support"
https://www.fpds.gov/ezsearch/fpdsportal?q=PIID%3A"FA881120F0004"

Тут в статье со слов Шотвелл пишут в том числе и про "апгрейд площадки на Ванденберге"
https://spacenews.com/spacex-explains-why-the-u-s-space-force-is-paying-316-million-for-a-single-launch/

Вполне возможно будут готовить под Хеви. Там же не только сама плита, но и хранилища топлива x3, трубопроводы всякие. Дополнительная площадка для первой ступени.

[tnt22]

 Pauline Acalin @w00ki33 16 мин. назад

NRC Quest is docked at Port of LA if anyone wants to grab some pics of fairing recovery! I can't make it today.

[Старый]

Джентльмены, а Флакон вывозят с плитой потому что СК рассчитан на Хэви Флакон и плита закрывает две боковые дырки?

Хэви тоже вывозят с плитой

А на эту площадку хоть раз вывозили?

На эту - нет. Единственная площадка приспособленная под FH - LC–39A в KSC

Мне интересно: площадка 4Е рассчитана и под ХэвиФлакон или три дырки это лишь наследие Титана-3/4?

[tnt22]

Sentinel-6 Launch and RTLS with an 11-inch telescope

 Tom Felker

21 нояб. 2020 г.

youtu.be/AKZOXaEHOIY

(5:50)