SpaceX's Falcon 9 launched Sentinel‑6B from Vandenberg on Nov. 17 at 9:21 p.m. PST, with NASA streaming the liftoff. The rocket's first‑stage booster, on its third flight, landed at Landing Zone 4 about 9 minutes 30 seconds after launch. Sentinel‑6B separated about 57 minutes after liftoff and will use a radar altimeter to map roughly 90% of Earth's ice‑free oceans every 10 days, extending a near‑40‑year sea‑level dataset to improve forecasts, flood prediction and coastal resilience.
Falcon 9 Launches Sentinel‑6B from Vandenberg, Extending Decades‑Long Sea‑Level Record
SpaceX's Falcon 9 launched Sentinel‑6B from Vandenberg on Nov. 17 at 9:21 p.m. PST, with NASA streaming the liftoff. The rocket's first‑stage booster, on its third flight, landed at Landing Zone 4 about 9 minutes 30 seconds after launch. Sentinel‑6B separated about 57 minutes after liftoff and will use a radar altimeter to map roughly 90% of Earth's ice‑free oceans every 10 days, extending a near‑40‑year sea‑level dataset to improve forecasts, flood prediction and coastal resilience.
09:20 PM, 11/17/2025Environment
Falcon 9 Delivers Sentinel‑6B to Orbit from Vandenberg
Nov. 17 — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the ocean‑observing satellite Sentinel‑6B lifted off Sunday at 9:21 p.m. PST from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. NASA streamed the launch live across its social media channels and YouTube.
Shortly after liftoff, SpaceX posted “Liftoff!” on X and shared video of the rocket's ascent. The Falcon 9's first‑stage booster, flying its third mission, successfully returned to Earth and touched down at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds after launch.
The satellite separated from the rocket's second stage about 57 minutes after liftoff and is expected to be operational within a few days. Sentinel‑6B carries a radar altimeter that will bounce signals off the ocean surface to continue long‑term measurements of ocean topography.
What Sentinel‑6B Will Do
According to NASA, Sentinel‑6B will map roughly 90% of Earth's ice‑free oceans every 10 days and extend a continuous sea‑level dataset toward nearly 40 years of observations. The mission builds on the program's first orbiter, Sentinel‑6 Michael Freilich (also known as Sentinel‑6A), which launched on Nov. 21, 2020.
“Sentinel‑6B will observe the ocean and measure sea level rise to provide insights into our home planet that will improve weather forecasts and flood predictions, safeguard public safety and protect coastal infrastructure,” NASA said in a release.
Developed by NASA with U.S. and European partners, the Sentinel missions provide critical data for climate monitoring, weather forecasting, maritime safety and coastal planning. NASA also noted that Sentinel‑6B will continue the atmospheric temperature record begun by Sentinel‑6A.
SpaceX was awarded the launch contract in December 2022 under a firm fixed‑price agreement valued at about $94 million to provide launch and related services for this mission.
Why it matters: The expanded sea‑level record from Sentinel‑6B helps scientists track long‑term trends in sea‑level rise, improves storm and flood forecasting, supports safer navigation, and informs coastal resilience and infrastructure planning worldwide.