SpaceX Launches Sentinel-6B Satellite to Monitor Global Sea Levels
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the ocean-observing Sentinel-6B satellite at 5:21 a.m. UTC on Monday (9:21 p.m. PST Sunday) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, NASA confirmed.
Sentinel-6B, developed by NASA alongside US and European partners, is designed to measure sea levels with an accuracy of about an inch across roughly 90% of the world’s oceans. NASA highlighted that the satellite will “build on over 30 years of sea level data to improve weather forecasts, keep ships safe at sea, and protect coastal communities.”
The new satellite will join its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which was launched in 2020, continuing a vital mission to track rising seas and provide critical data for climate monitoring and maritime safety.
