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LAUNCH EVENTS AND
MISSION PHASES

Launch Site and Vehicle

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California

The NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2018 from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will launch from the same location aboard another Falcon 9.
Image credit: NASA

This illustration shows the launch vehicle's first stage boosting the satellite into space before Main Engine Cut Off (MECO)

The Falcon 9 rocket will launch Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich into a non-Sun-synchronous orbit. This illustration shows the launch vehicle's first stage boosting the satellite into space before Main Engine Cut Off (MECO).
Image credit: SpaceX

Launch Timing

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft will be launched no earlier than 11:31 a.m. PST (2:31 p.m. EST) on Nov. 10, 2020. The launch date is based on the readiness of the satellite, the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, and the Western Test Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The instantaneous launch window on subsequent days falls earlier by approximately 12 minutes each day.



Launch Sequence

The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket will launch Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich from SLC-4E down an initial flight azimuth of 151 degrees from true north, carrying it in a south-southeast direction over the Pacific Ocean off the California coastline.

Key events after launch (times approximate):


  • Two minutes and 17 seconds after launch: Main Engine Cut Off (MECO), second stage separation and then Second-Engine Start 1 (SES1) will occur in quick succession. Reusable Falcon 9 first stage then begins its automated boost-back to the launch site for a powered landing.
  • 3 minutes: After protecting the satellite as the rocket traveled through the atmosphere, the launch vehicle's nose cone will separate and be jettisoned.
  • 8 minutes: Stage-II Engine Cutoff (SECO1), launch vehicle and spacecraft are in parking orbit.
  • 53 minutes: Stage-II First Restart (SES2) for a 15 second burn, followed by Stage-II Engine Cutoff (SECO2).
  • 58 minutes: launch vehicle and spacecraft separation.
  • 1 hour and 7 minutes: satellite will begin solar panel deployment.
  • 1 hour and 33 minutes: Planned first contact for satellite telemetry downlink by ground stations in Alaska.

Orbital Characteristics

The spacecraft will be launched into a non-Sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 66 degrees with an orbital period of 112 minutes and 26 seconds. This orbit was chosen because it is the same as previous sea level missions (the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, OSTM/Jason-2, and Jason-3 satellites) to ensure data consistency for long-term sea level time series. Like its predecessors, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich's non-Sun-synchronous orbit was chosen to allow the spacecraft to pass over locations at different times of the day and night, allowing it to measure local sea level changes that may vary throughout the 24-hour cycle, like the tides.

Ground System

Satellite antennas located in Kiruna (Sweden) and Fairbanks (U.S.) are the ground stations that will provide X- and S-band communications with the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft. The Kiruna ground station coverage is provided by EUMETSAT; the Fairbanks ground station coverage is provided by NOAA.

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