Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich

S6MF, Sentinel-6A

Mission Profile

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (S6MF, Sentinel-6A) is the most precise sea level measurement satellite ever launched, deployed on 21 November 2020 aboard a Falcon 9 as a joint mission by ESA, EUMETSAT, NASA, NOAA, and the European Commission under the Copernicus programme. Its primary instrument, the Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR-C) and Poseidon-4 radar altimeter, measures sea surface height to millimeter precision from a 1,336 km orbit, continuing the 30-year sea level record begun by TOPEX/Poseidon in 1992. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich shows sea levels rising at approximately 4.5 mm per year globally, with acceleration compared to earlier decades, providing one of the most critical measurements in climate science. The satellite was named after Michael Freilich, former director of NASA's Earth Science Division and a pioneer of satellite oceanography who passed away in 2020.