NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Sentinel-6B, an international mission delivering critical sea level and ocean data to protect coastal infrastructure, improve weather forecasting, and support commercial activities at sea.<\/p>\n
Launch is targeted at 12:21 a.m. EST, Monday, Nov. 17 (9:21 p.m. PST, Sunday, Nov. 16) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.<\/p>\n
Watch coverage beginning at 11:30 p.m. EST (8:30 p.m. PST) on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and more. Learn how to watch NASA content<\/a> through a variety of platforms, including social media.<\/p>\n The Sentinel-6B mission continues a decades-long effort to monitor global sea level and ocean conditions using precise radar measurements from space. Since the early 1990s, satellites launched by NASA and domestic and international partners have collected precise sea level data. The launch of Sentinel-6B will extend this dataset out to nearly four decades.<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):<\/p>\n Saturday, Nov. 15<\/p>\n 4 p.m. \u2013 NASA Prelaunch Teleconference on International Ocean Tracking Mission<\/p>\n Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division, NASA Headquarters in Washington Audio of the teleconference will stream on the NASA Video YouTube channel<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Media interested in participating by phone must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the call at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov<\/a>. A copy of NASA\u2019s media accreditation policy<\/a> is online.<\/p>\n Sunday Nov. 16<\/p>\n 11:30 p.m. \u2013 Launch coverage begins on NASA+<\/a>, Amazon Prime<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n Audio-only coverage<\/p>\n Audio-only of the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA \u201cV\u201d circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220 or -1240. On launch day, \u201cmission audio\u201d countdown activities without NASA+ launch commentary will be carried at 321-867-7135.<\/p>\n NASA website launch coverage<\/p>\n Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency\u2019s website<\/a>. Coverage will include links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 11 p.m. EST, Nov. 16, as the countdown milestones occur. Streaming video and photos of the launch will be accessible on demand shortly after liftoff. Follow countdown coverage on NASA\u2019s Sentinel-6\/Jason-CS blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at: 321-867-2468.<\/p>\n Attend launch virtually<\/p>\n Members of the public can register<\/a> to attend this launch virtually. NASA\u2019s virtual guest program<\/a> for this mission includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.<\/p>\n Watch, engage on social media<\/p>\n Let people know you\u2019re watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:<\/p>\n X: @NASA,<\/a> @NASAKennedy<\/a>, @NASAJPL<\/a>, @NASAEarth<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook: NASA<\/a>, NASA Kennedy<\/a>, NASA JPL<\/a>, NASA Earth<\/a><\/p>\n Instagram: @NASA<\/a>, @NASAKennedy<\/a>, @NASAJPL<\/a>, @NASAEarth<\/a><\/p>\n Sentinel-6B is the second of twin satellites in the Copernicus Sentinel-6\/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission, a collaboration among NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The first satellite in the mission, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich<\/a>, launched in November 2020. The European Commission contributed funding support, while France\u2019s space agency CNES (Centre National d\u2019\u00c9tudes Spatiales) provided technical expertise. The mission also marks the first international involvement in Copernicus, the European Union\u2019s Earth Observation Programme.<\/p>\n For more information about these missions, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/sentinel-6b\/<\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Elizabeth Vlock Leejay Lockhart Andrew Wang \/ Andrew Good
\nPierrik Veuilleumier, Sentinel-6B project manager, ESA (European Space Agency)
\nParag Vaze, Sentinel-6B project manager, NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California
\nTim Dunn, senior launch director, Launch Services Program, NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
\nJulianna Scheiman, director, NASA Science Missions, SpaceX
\n1st Lt. William Harbin, launch weather officer, U.S. Air Force<\/p>\n
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 \/ 818-393-2433
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a> \/ andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n