Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ‘Go’ For Launch, Prelaunch News Conference at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST)

The Sentinel-6 satellite in the SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing. — An animated image of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite in the SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing at the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo credit: NASA

Launch and mission managers have completed the Launch Readiness Review for the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission. At the conclusion of the review, NASA’s Launch Services Program, SpaceX, the European Space Agency (ESA), and NOAA agreed to target the launch for 9:17 PST (12:17 p.m. EST) on Saturday, Nov. 21, from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Currently, the 30th Space Wing weather forecast is 80% “go” for launch, with a 20% chance of violating weather constraints. The primary concern is ground winds of 20 knots at the time of launch.

A prelaunch news conference will be held at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST), live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Participants are:

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for Science Mission Directorate, NASA HQ
Johann-Dietrich Worner, Director-General, European Space Agency
Pierrik Vuilleumier, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project manager, ESA
Parag Vaze, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project manager, JPL
Tim Dunn, NASA Launch Director, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Julianna Scheiman, program manager, NASA Launch Services, SpaceX
Anthony Mastalir, commander, 30th Space Wing and Western Launch and Test Range
John Ott, weather officer, 30th Space Wing

NASA TV launch coverage will begin at 8:45 a.m. PST (11:45 a.m. EST) on Nov. 21. You can follow the countdown milestones here on the blog and on NASA Television.

Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #SeeingTheSeas and tag these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @NASA_JPL, @NASASocial, @ESA, @ESA_EO, @EU_Commission, @NOAA, @CNES, @Eumetsat, @CopernicusEU, @defis_eu @SpaceX, @NASA_LSP, @NASA360, 30thSpaceWing
Facebook: NASA, NASA JPL, NASA Earth, NASA LSP, 30thSpaceWing
Instagram: NASA, NASAJPL, NASAEarth, Vandenberg_AFB

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launch Readiness Review, Televised Briefings on Tap Today

Today, launch and mission managers are holding the final major review, called the Launch Readiness Review, for the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission that will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launch is targeted for 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST) on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Coming up today at 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST) is a science briefing, live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Participants are:

Karen St. Germain, director, NASA Earth Science Division, NASA HQ
Josh Willis, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project scientist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (remote)
Craig Donlon, Sentinel-6 mission scientist, European Space Agency (remote)
Remko Scharroo, programme scientist for Sentinel-6 EUMESTAT (remote)
Deirdre Byrne, oceanographer, NOAA (remote)
Luanne Thompson, Walters Professor of Oceanography, University of Washington (remote)

A prelaunch news conference will be held today at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST), live on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Participants are:

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for Science Mission Directorate, NASA HQ
Johann-Dietrich Worner, Director-General, European Space Agency
Pierrik Vuilleumier, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project manager, European Space Agency
Parag Vaze, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich project manager, JPL
Tim Dunn, NASA Launch Director, Launch Services Program, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Julianna Scheiman, program manager, NASA Launch Services, SpaceX
Anthony Mastalir, commander, 30th Space Wing and Western Launch and Test Range
John Ott, weather officer, 30th Space Wing

NASA TV launch coverage will begin at 8:45 a.m. PST (11:45 a.m. EST) on Nov. 21.

Follow along with launch activities and get more information about the mission at: https://www.nasa.gov/sentinel-6.

Learn more about NASA’s Launch Services Program at: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/index.html.

Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #SeeingTheSeas and tag these accounts:

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ‘Go’ to Proceed Toward Nov. 21 Launch

The Sentinel-6 satellite is encapsulated in the SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing. — The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is encapsulated in the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s payload fairing on Nov. 3, 2020, inside SpaceX’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin

The Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean-monitoring satellite has concluded, and teams are proceeding toward a planned liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 9:17 a.m. PST (12:17 p.m. EST) on Saturday, Nov. 21, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

This mission is an international collaboration between NASA and several partners. It is the first of two identical satellites to be launched this year and in 2025 to continue observations of sea level change for at least the next decade.

Live launch coverage will begin at 8:45 a.m. PST (11:45 a.m. EST), on NASA Television and the agency’s website, with prelaunch and science briefings the day before on Nov. 20. Click here for ways to follow along with the mission.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launch Update

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich team members from European Space Agency pose with the spacecraft during processing. Launch is scheduled for Nov. 11, 2020 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch management. — Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich team members from European Space Agency pose with the spacecraft during processing.

Editor’s Note: Updated on Nov. 4, 2020, to show a launch time of 12:17 p.m. EST (9:17 a.m. PST).

NASA and SpaceX now are targeting Saturday, Nov. 21, at 12:17 p.m. EST (9:17 a.m. PST) for the launch of the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean-monitoring satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The additional time allowed SpaceX to complete Falcon 9 Merlin engine testing and inspections following an on-pad abort during a non-NASA mission.

After completing engine testing and inspections, teams from NASA and SpaceX have determined that two engines on the Sentinel-6 rocket’s first stage would need to be replaced to ensure optimal performance during launch. Work is now progressing to implement the engine change and all engine hardware replacements will finish next week.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, SpaceX, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the European Space Agency continue the diligent work of preparing both the spacecraft and rocket as the launch campaign moves forward.

NASA and SpaceX continue to target Saturday, Nov. 14, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station.

Sentinel-6 Satellite Arrives at Vandenberg for Preflight Checkout

A shipping container containing the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is transported on a truck to the SpaceX payload processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base after arriving in California on Sept. 24, 2020. Photo credit: NASA/JPL

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, secured inside a shipping container, arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday, Sept. 24, aboard an Antonov cargo aircraft. It was offloaded from the aircraft and moved to the SpaceX Payload Processing Facility for checkout and preflight processing.

The mission is an international partnership and the first launch of a constellation of two satellites that will observe changes in Earth’s sea levels for at least the next decade. Launching atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is targeted to lift off from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 4 on Nov. 10, 2020.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages NASA’s contribution to the mission. The Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management.

NASA Prepares for Upcoming Launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite

Illustration of the Sentinel-6/Michael Freilich satellite in orbit. Image credit: ESA

NASA is preparing for the launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, an international partnership that is the first launch of a constellation of two identical satellites launched sequentially. Together, they will continue observations of sea level change for at least the next decade. The mission is targeted for launch Nov. 10 at 2:31 p.m. EDT (11:31 a.m. PDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California. Sentinel-6 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4, and the launch is managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Named in honor of the former director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, Dr. Michael Freilich, who was instrumental in advancing ocean altimetry, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich follows the most recent U.S.-European sea level observation satellite, Jason-3, which launched in 2016 and currently is providing high-precision and timely observations of the topography of the global ocean.

Sentinel-6 is part of Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. The Copernicus Sentinel-6 missions are being jointly developed by ESA (European Space Agency), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission (EC) and support from France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).

NASA’s contributions to the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS missions are three science instruments for each of the two Sentinel-6 satellites: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the GNSS-RO, and the Laser Retroreflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team.

For more, read the full advisory at https://go.nasa.gov/3mGp7aI.