NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are set to launch Sentinel-6B, an ocean-monitoring satellite, on November 17 at 12:21 am EST from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. This mission is a joint project to track global sea levels, with Sentinel-6B joining its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, in orbit. The satellite will continue a multi-decade dataset for sea level measurements, improving public safety, city planning, and coastal infrastructure protection.
The Sentinel-6B satellite will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a sequence of events that includes a two-minute main engine shutdown, followed by the separation of the first and second stages. The reusable first stage will then perform an automated boost-back burn to land at the launch site. Around three minutes after liftoff, the fairings will detach and fall back to Earth, and the second stage will deploy the satellite into its desired orbit.
Once in orbit, Sentinel-6B's solar panels will deploy, and it will make first contact with ground teams about 35 minutes later. The satellite will fly about 30 seconds behind its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. After cross-calibration of data from both satellites is complete, Sentinel-6B will take over primary sea level measurements while its twin moves into a different orbit.
