SpaceX launches NASA’s new satellite and lands with a boom

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent a new NASA and European Space Agency satellite into orbit from California on Saturday morning. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite is the latest in a series of satellites that have provided critical data on sea level rise and climate change for nearly three decades. It is named after the former director of NASA’s Division of Earth Sciences, Michael Freilich, considered a pioneer in conducting oceanographic work from orbit.

The new spy bird of the oceans will be able to measure sea levels within a few centimeters for 90% of the world’s oceans. A sister satellite called Sentinel-6B will join the effort when it launches in 2025. Instruments on the new satellites will also provide atmospheric temperature and humidity data that will help improve weather forecasts, according to NASA.

The mission began with the fairly rare launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base on the west coast of the United States. A statement from Vandenberg sent earlier in the week warned that more sonic booms could be heard in parts of California’s Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties when the Falcon 9’s first stage returned for a landing after lifting the satellite in orbit.

The loud rumbles could be heard on the mission webcast just before the first stage of the Falcon 9 made a successful ground landing a short distance from the launch pad. Check out the feed below for yourself.

It’s just the start of a busy day for SpaceX, which also plans to launch its latest batch of Starlink satellites from Florida.