SpaceX rocket blasts off from Vandenberg with NASA’s new ocean-observing satellite

With spectators filling Lompoc Valley viewing sites, a Falcon 9 rocket roared to life Saturday morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base en route to delivering NASA’s newest ocean-monitoring satellite to space.

Blastoff of the Space Exploration Technologies booster occurred at 9:17 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base into fog-free skies.

“Liftoff of continuing a legacy of ocean observation and international collaboration to benefit all humanity,” a NASA launch commentator said as the rocket climbed away from the Central Coast.

Falcon carried NASA’s house-shaped Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, an ocean-observing satellite for a joint collaboration between the United States and Europe.

Delivery of the satellite, or spacecraft separation, occurred approximately one hour after blastoff.

Once operational in a few months, the satellite, the size of a small truck, will collect data about rising sea levels, which scientists say is a key indicator about global climate change.

Those watching the launch also saw, and heard, the rocket’s used first-stage return for the West Coast’s third landing at Vandenberg.

The rumble of the rocket and the clap of a sonic boom could be heard in Santa Maria, along the South Coast, and elsewhere in the region as the booster touched down.

Sentinel-6, now orbiting the planet from 800 miles above Earth, met its first in-space milestones by deploying its solar arrays to ensure the craft remains powered for its mission and communicating with ground controllers to confirm its healthy status.

A Falcon 9 rocket heads toward space Saturday morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base. (George Foulsham photo)

Equipped with five instruments, including the primary tool known as the Poseidon radar altimeter, Sentinel-6 will collect measurements of the sea level height within an accuracy of 1 inch and help improve weather forecasting, NASA officials said.

“This mission will provide critical continuity for our knowledge of the rising seas and it will help us better predict weather. No one on the planet is not affected by these things,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.

This mission involved a collaboration between the United States and European organizations including the European Space Agency, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), with funding support from the European Commission and support from France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).

At the beginning of the year, the satellite was named for Michael Freilich, a long-time Earth Sciences Division director who died in August. While based on the East Coast, he frequently traveled to Vandenberg for launches, sharing his passion and excitement about the space-based science missions to study the planet.

The international team agreed to take the rare step of renaming the satellite after Freilich, an ocean scientist who has been credited with championing partnerships while at NASA.

“This satellite so graciously named for him by our European partners will carry out the critical work Mike so believed in – adding to a legacy of crucial data about our oceans and paying it forward for the benefit of future generations,” Zurbuchen said.

This was the first of twin ocean-observing satellites, with the second set for launch from Vandenberg in 2025 as scientists aim to continue collecting decades of data about the planet’s oceans.

Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook

This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 12:58 PM.