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Washington, November 22
The US space agency together with the European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched a satellite to monitor global sea level rise.
The joint US-Europe satellite built to monitor global sea level took off Saturday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
T.or support the navigation of the ship
About the size of a small pickup truck, the Michael Freilich Sentinel-6 satellite will extend a nearly 30-year continuous data set above sea level collected from a continuous collaboration of US and European satellites, improving weather forecasts and providing detailed information on scaling ocean currents to support the navigation of ships near the coasts.
“The Earth is changing and this satellite will help us deepen our understanding of how,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Division of Earth Sciences.
“Earth’s changing processes are affecting sea level globally, but the impact on local communities varies greatly. International collaboration is critical both to understanding these changes and to inform coastal communities around the world.”
The probe is named in honor of Michael Freilich, the former director of NASA’s Earth Sciences Division, who was a leading figure in advancing ocean observations from space.
“Freilich has been a tireless force in the Earth sciences. Climate change and sea level rise know no national boundaries and he has supported international collaboration to address the challenge,” said Josef Aschbacher, director of observation programs for the land of the ESA (European Space Agency).
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will continue the sea level record started in 1992 with the TOPEX / Poseidon satellite and continued with Jason-1 (2001), OSTM / Jason-2 (2008) and finally Jason-3, which observed the oceans since 2016.
The satellite will be followed in 2025 by its twin Sentinel-6B.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, “Whether it’s 800 miles above Earth in this extraordinary spacecraft or a trip to Mars to look for signs of life, whether you are providing farmers with agricultural data or helping First responders with our disaster program, we are tirelessly committed not only to learning and exploring, but to making an impact where it is needed. “
“The data from this satellite, which is so crucial for climate monitoring and weather forecasting, will be of unprecedented accuracy,” said EUMETSAT Director General Alain Ratier.
Global sea level rises by approximately 0.13 inches (3.3 millimeters) per year. That’s 30 percent more than when NASA launched its first satellite mission to measure ocean heights in 1992. IANS
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