Sentinel-6 Satellite launched

  • IASbaba
  • November 23, 2020
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Sentinel-6 Satellite launched

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Sci & Tech

In news

  • The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on November 21.
  • Objective: Designed to monitor oceans
  • Developed jointly by: European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat), the USA’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the EU.

Key takeaways 

  • This is a part of the next mission dedicated to measuring changes in the global sea level. 
  • The mission, called the Jason Continuity of Service (Jason-CS) mission, is designed to measure the height of the ocean. 
  • Height of the ocean is a key component in understanding how the Earth’s climate is changing.
  • The spacecraft consists of two satellites, out of which one was launched recently, and the other, called Sentinel-6B, shall be launched in 2025.

Do you know? 

  • Other satellites that have been launched since 1992 to track changes in the oceans on a global scale include the TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and OSTN/Jason-2, among others.

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