Saturday, tour Sentinel-6 Michael Freelich satellite launched.
The largest satellite to observe Earth took off from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 12:17 p.m., east of Space Launch Complex 4, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
In just a few months, the satellite will begin collecting data on the rising sea level here on Earth, a bird’s eye view of the hardest way for scientists to effectively measure climate change.
Upon entering its orbit, the satellite detached from the rocket and scattered its solar array in a truly spectacular display.
Watch the launch video here:
Once in the air, the Sentinel-6 sent a signal to ground control confirming the spacecraft was in good health and in good health and ready to begin a series of check-ups and last-minute calibrations. After this is completed, the spacecraft will begin its true goal.
Sentinel-6 is a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency, the European Union’s meteorological department for satellite research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Disorganized attitude – The main objective of this mission is to collect data on global sea levels and chart the effects of climate change on the Earth’s oceans. The mission will last for five and a half years.
As global temperatures rise, melting glaciers and ice sheets together with the thermal expansion of ocean water, sea levels rise at an alarming rate. Since 1880, the global average sea level has risen by about 8-9 inches, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Earth is changing, and this will help us deepen our understanding of how this satellite will work,” said Karen St. Garmin, director of NASA’s Department of Earth Sciences, in a statement.
“Changing Earth processes are affecting sea levels globally, but its impact on local communities varies greatly. International cooperation is important to understand these changes and to inform coastal communities around the world.”
Sentinel-6 builds on ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission legacy. First launched in 2014, it has been the most ambitious Earth observation program to date.
Space agencies have played a crucial role in documenting the effects of global warming on our planet over the years. The Sentinel-6 brings an unprecedented level of accuracy to this endeavor.
A new era – The Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission includes two identical satellites, Sentinel-6, Michael Freelich and Sentinel-6B, which will launch five years apart and provide data to scientists until at least 2030.
Unlike previous Earth-observation missions, the Sentinel-6 observatory will be able to collect measurements at very high resolutions and detect small sea-level variations near the coast.
The way it does this is through a radar altimeter instrument, which calculates the distance between a satellite and the earth by measuring the time it takes a radar pulse to reflect the earth’s surface. The echo pulse returning from the surface of the ocean creates a waveform that shows the height of the ocean surface and the waves, as well as the surface wind speed from the rough surface of the ocean in real time.
All of these measures support ocean forecasting – critical for sustainable sea-resource management, marine management, and environmental protection, as well as the fishing industry.
“The data from this satellite, which is so crucial for weather monitoring and weather forecasting, will be of unprecedented accuracy,” Ellen Retier, director general of the European Institute for the Exploration of Meteorological Satellites, said in a statement.
“These data, which can only be obtained by measuring space, will greatly benefit people around the world, from safer sea travel to a more accurate understanding of sea level, to more accurate seasonal predictions of hurricane routes. Weather forecasts, and so much more.”
