The Falcon 9’s second stage Merlin engine, carrying Sentinel-6B, ignited, marking the first of two planned burns that will deliver the satellite to its designated orbit. The rocket’s protective payload fairing separated and is on way back to Earth, where SpaceX plans to recover it.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the U.S.-European Sentinel-6B satellite launched at 9:21 p.m. PST (12:21 a.m. EST Monday, Nov. 17) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Sentinel-6B will eventually take over as the official reference satellite for global sea level measurements from its twin, the Sentinel-6 Michael […]
The NASA launch manager, Tim Dunn, has just given a “go” for launch for the Sentinel-6B satellite.
This will be the third flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission. Launch is coming up momentarily.
Fueling is underway for the second stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Sentinel-6B, part of a joint mission led by NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission and technical support […]
Once Sentinel-6B launches, the satellite and its six science instruments are expected to spend the next 5.5 years in orbit collecting data on the rising sea levels and the impacts for us on Earth. The satellite is about the size of a small pickup truck at 19.1 feet (5.82 meters) long, 7.74 feet (2.36 meters) […]
Mission managers polled “go” to begin fueling the SpaceX Falcon 9 with just under 40 minutes remaining until launch. Rocket Grade Kerosene, or RP1, now is loading into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket first stage booster, while liquid oxygen, or LOX, is loading into the rocket’s first stage. These propellants will power the stage’s nine Merlin engines. Propellant loading for the second stage will begin shortly.
The first stage will propel the second stage and the Sentinel-6B satellite to its designed location before returning to Earth, where SpaceX plans to recover it at Landing Zone 4.
Live coverage is underway for launch of Sentinel-6B from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Weather remains 90% favorable with thick clouds and cumulus clouds as the possible weather violations during the 12:21 a.m. EST (9:21 p.m. PST Sunday, Nov. 16) liftoff. Sentinel-6B is part of a series of […]
The launch of Sentinel-6B will continue a joint mission between NASA and its European partners to monitor sea levels. This data is key to helping improve public safety, city planning, and protecting commercial and defense interests. Along with measuring global sea level rise and ocean circulation, the satellites record vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and […]
NASA and its launch partners are tracking several events during countdown and launch of Sentinel-6B aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Time | Events (all times are approximate): -00:43:00 | NASA launch manager propellant load and launch readiness poll-00:38:00 | SpaceX launch director verifies “go” for propellant load-00:35:00 […]
Coverage is underway for launch of the Sentinel-6B spacecraft, the newest international sea level measurement satellite mission jointly developed by NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from the […]
