Skip to main content

European-US satellite mission critical for measuring impact of climate change on oceans

By Eric Van Rees - 29th November 2021 - 10:07

More precise information about global sea level than has ever been available before – critical for monitoring climate change - comes on-stream with the completion of 12 months of intensive, in-orbit testing of the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite.

This unique, European-American mission will shortly become the reference mission, against which all other satellite ocean altimetry missions will measure their accuracy.

Today’s first release of high-resolution data from the satellite’s altimeter comes just weeks after the COP26 meeting in Glasgow heard more about the growing threat posed to coastal communities and island states from rising sea levels due to climate change.

Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is controlled from EUMETSAT’s Darmstadt headquarters, where its altimetry data is processed then disseminated to users of the data.

The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite was launched from California, in the United States, on 21 November 2020. It is the first of a new generation of ocean-altimetry satellites and will be followed into orbit by its twin, Sentinel-6B, in 2025.

Read More: Meteorology/Climate Change Satellite Imaging Education & Research

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay updated on the latest technology, innovation product arrivals and exciting offers to your inbox.

Newsletter