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Sentinel-6B

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Sentinel-6B, an Earth-observing satellite jointly developed by NASA and U.S. and European partners, will observe the ocean and measure sea level rise to provide insights into our home planet that will improve weather forecasts and flood predictions, safeguard public safety, and protect coastal infrastructure.
It launched at 9:21 p.m. PST, Sunday, Nov. 16 (12:21 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 17) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, joining its twin satellite, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched five years earlier.

Type

Orbiter

Launch

Nov. 16, 2025

Partners

ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales)

Objective

Measure global sea level, atmospheric temperature, and humidity

Relive the Launch: Sentinel-6B

Sentinel-6B, an international mission that will deliver critical sea level and ocean data, is scheduled to lift off at 9:21 p.m. PST, Sunday, Nov. 16 (12:21 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 17). The satellite will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Observing oceans since 1992

Learn More About Sentinel-6B and Its Predecessors

Visit the Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 program website and learn more about Sentinel-6B and its twin predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which launched in November 2020 and was named in honor of the late director of NASA’s Earth Science Division.

Visit the program website for Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 — ‘Ocean Surface Topography from Space’

Image shows a fiery ignition of a SpaceX rocket carrying NASA's Sentinel-6B spacecraft.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the international Sentinel-6B spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. A collaboration between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Sentinel-6B is designed to measure sea levels down to roughly an inch for about 90% of the world’s oceans.

NASA

Featured Story

6 Things to Know From NASA About New US, European Sea Satellite

Data from Sentinel-6B will continue a decades-long record of sea surface height, helping to improve coastal planning, protect critical infrastructure,…

Sentinel-6B Stories

Explore All Sentinel-6B Stories

NASA, SpaceX Launch US-European Satellite to Monitor Earth’s Oceans

Sentinel-6B Satellite Acquires Signal

Sea-Level Monitoring Satellite Flying Solo

First Stage Rocket Returns to Earth; Coast Phase Begins

Liftoff! Sentinel-6B Journeys to Orbit

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