The Press Stories
A satellite that allows British scientists to measure sea level has been launched into space on a SpaceX rocket.
Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freelich was successfully launched into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a launch pad in California.
Sentinel-6, the size of a small 4×4 car orbiting the earth from a distance of 830 miles, is said to be important for collecting marine data to monitor climate change.
Climate and maritime experts in the UK, including the Meteorological Office and the National Maritime Center, will be analyzed to help predict global sea levels in the future.
The SpaceX rocket launches the Sentinel-6 into space on Friday afternoon. Credit NASA
Climate change It contributes to sea level rise by warming the planet and the melting of the world’s glaciers and polar ice caps.
Sea levels have risen by an average of more than 3 mm each year since 1993, although it has risen to 4.8 mm in recent years, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
Global warming is expected to increase further.
The UK government says Sentinel-6 will provide the only way to accurately measure global sea level, which will help protect 600 million people living in vulnerable coastal areas around the world.
How Copernicus Sentinel-6 orbits the Andes. Credit EU space company
The satellite was named after Dr. Michael Freelich, former head of NASA’s Earth Science Division, as part of Copernicus’ mission under the European Union’s Earth Observation Program.
It was developed jointly by ESA, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, NASA and the National Maritime and Atmospheric Administration.
UK Science Minister Amanda Solowe said: “Monitoring rising sea levels is one of the most important indicators of our planet’s warming.
“This government-backed satellite will arm our leading scientists, researchers and meteorologists with important data to measure the true impact of climate change on our planet.”
