NASA and its European associates have thought to make some changes for one of their upcoming missions. The Earth science satellite now got named after former NASA’s Earth science director. The event occurred at one of NASA’s ceremonies on January 28, where there were also present the European Space Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Eumetsat and European Commission.
NASA Renames a Mission After Former Director of Earth Science Division
They stated in a series of a spaceship to examine sea-level height will get named after Michael Freilich. The NASA member retired in 2019 after more than a decade of performed work at the space agency. The spaceship, which has earlier been recognized as both Jason-CS and Sentinel-6A, will be formed now on known as Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich. It will start in November on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
“This is really coming from all of our hearts. It is to you, Mike, for what you have done in order to make Sentinel-6 happen,” stated Josef Aschbacher, from the ESA.
Sentinel-6 will move on with its space-based examinations of any variations in sea-level height that came from Topex-Poseidon, a joint project between NASA and CNES, which started back in 1992. Jason-1 succeeded it in 2001, Jason-2 in 2008, and finally, 2016 one. The last two, however, introduced Eumetsat and NOAA as associates.
The New Sentinel Mission Under Development
With the next mission, the European Commission and the ESA teamed up through their shared Copernicus project for Earth research. The ESA is liable for the satellite, being developed by Airbus Defence and Space. Moreover, NASA and the ESA are offering enough devices and other tools, with NASA responsible for liftoff missions.
Also, NOAA and Eumetsat will help with the ground stations, data distribution, and other operations. The partnership includes a second spaceship, Sentinel-6 B, programmed for liftoff in 2025.
