VANDENBERG, CALIFORNIA – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the International Sentinel-6B satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base on a critical mission to track global sea-level rise. The satellite, a twin of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launched in 2020, will deploy advanced radar capable of measuring ocean heights with an accuracy of about one inch across 90% of the world’s oceans.
Orbiting at 830 miles above Earth, Sentinel-6B will provide unprecedented data on ocean currents, wave heights, and sea-level changes. Karen St. Germain, NASA’s director of Earth Science, highlighted the importance of the mission, stating that the information supports navigation, search and rescue, commercial fishing, and shipping industries, as well as flood prediction for coastal infrastructure and real estate.
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The project represents an international collaboration between the United States and Europe, with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), NOAA, and Eumetsat among the key partners sharing costs and responsibilities. The launch also marked a milestone for SpaceX, celebrating the 500th flight of a previously flown Falcon 9 booster, which successfully returned to the launch site after completing its third mission.