SpaceX has launched a European satellite that observes the oceans. View landing vertically (recording)

We updated the article after a successful flight.

Today, at 6:17 pm, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was launched from the Vandenberg military base on the west coast of the United States. The Sentinel-6 scientific satellite, Michael Freilich, named after the American oceanographer of the same name and longtime NASA employee, was transported aboard.

The satellite was created under the auspices of the European Space Agency (ESA) under the European Commission’s Copernicus program. One of the important partners is NASA.

The purpose of the satellite is to monitor the topography of the sea surface and the mission will be based on continuous satellite observations, in progress since 1992.

The Sentinel-6 mission relies on a pair of satellites. The second, currently dubbed Sentinel-6B, is not scheduled to orbit until 2025, ensuring continuous monitoring of ocean levels at least until the end of the decade.

You can watch a recorded broadcast (in English) of the “Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich” mission via YouTube in the video below:

Today’s flight was exceptional as SpaceX returned to Vandenberg after nearly a year and a half. Also from the fact that the 1st stage of the Falcon 9 rocket again landed vertically on land and not on a floating platform in the ocean.

The rocket landed about eight minutes after launch, the satellite itself disconnected from the machine’s 2nd stage after about 53 minutes of flight.

SpaceX will once again try to save the aerodynamic cover of the cargo, which must land in the Pacific Ocean. You will be able to prepare it for the next flight and save around six million dollars.