Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Spacecraft Team and Fairing

Technicians and engineers working on the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite pose in front of the spacecraft as it sits in a protective nosecone, or payload fairing, in the SpaceX Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Once it's closed up, the fairing will sit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when it launches from Vandenburg Air Force Base in central California in late November 2020. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is one of two identical satellites that are a part of the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission, a U.S.-European collaboration. The mission is part of Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of the Jason series missions, Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will extend the records of sea level into their fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height for more than 90% of the world's oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography, marine meteorology, and climate studies. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich's twin, Sentinel-6B, is scheduled to launch in 2025. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24134