Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich
Illustration of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft in orbit above Earth with its deployable solar panels extended | |
| Names | Sentinel-6A Jason-CS A |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Oceanography mission |
| Operator | EUMETSAT / NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2020-086A |
| SATCAT no. | 46984 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 5.5 years (planned) 4 years, 6 months and 27 days (in progress) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Sentinel-6 |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Defence and Space |
| Launch mass | 1,192 kg (2,628 lb) |
| Dimensions | 5.13 x 4.17 x 2.34 metres |
| Power | 891 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 November 2020, 17:17:08 UTC |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-4E |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Entered service | 21 June 2021 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Altitude | 1,336 km (830 mi) |
| Inclination | 66.0° |
| Repeat interval | 10 days |
| Instruments | |
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Logo of the Sentinel-6 programme | |
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The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (S6MF) or Sentinel-6A is a radar altimeter satellite developed in partnership between several European and American organizations. It is part of the Jason satellite series and is named after Michael Freilich. S6MF includes synthetic-aperture radar altimetry techniques to improve ocean topography measurements, in addition to rivers and lakes. The spacecraft entered service in mid 2021 and is expected to operate for 5.5 years.