Relive key moments of the launch of the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite. The spacecraft lifted off on 21 November on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, US.

The satellite will continue the long-term record of reference measurements, extending the record of sea-level height into a fourth decade. Orbiting at an altitude of over 1300 km and reaching 66°N and 66°S, Sentinel-6 provides measurements to map the height of the sea surface over 95% of the world’s ice-free oceans every 10 days.

While Sentinel-6 is one of the European Union’s family of Copernicus missions, its implementation is the result of a unique cooperation between the European Commission ESA, Eumetsat, NASA and NOAA, with contribution from the CNES French space agency.

Read more about the Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission.