Copernicus Sentinel-6 is the next radar altimetry reference mission, extending the legacy of sea-surface height measurements until at least 2030. The mission tracks rising ocean levels caused by climate change, with two satellites in the constellation measuring sea-surface heights across approximately 95% of Earth's oceans.
facts
operatorEUMETSAT
countryunknown
sensor typesradar-altimeter
sats launchedtotal2
sats activeclaimedunknown
sats activeverified2
sats planned2
orbit1,336 km altitude at a 66-degree inclination
first launch2020-11-21
latest launch2025-11-17
statusoperational
websiteesa.int
revisitrepeat ground-track cycle of about 9 days 22 hours; maps 95% of Earth's ice-free ocean every 10 days
spectral bandsKu-band, C-band
sats active (verified) counts objects currently tracked in CelesTrak's catalog for this constellation. It is a tracking count, not an operator claim about satellite health.
orbit
sats launchedtotal2
sats activeclaimedunknown
sats activeverified2
sats planned2
orbit1,336 km altitude at a 66-degree inclination
crawled events
timeline
- 20252025-11-17Sentinel-6B launches on Falcon 9 to extend the sea-level rise recordas of 2026-07-12
- 20212021-06-22Sentinel-6 sea-level data goes live for public useas of 2026-07-12
- 20202020-11-21Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launches on Falcon 9, first ESA satellite on a reused rocket familyas of 2026-07-12
sources
[1] esa.int ↗
orbitfirst-party2026-07-05first launchfirst-party2026-07-05latest launchfirst-party2026-07-05statusfirst-party2026-07-05websitefirst-party2026-07-05
[2] eumetsat.int ↗
operatorfirst-party2026-07-05sensor typesfirst-party2026-07-05
[3] eoportal.org ↗
revisit2026-07-09spectral bands2026-07-09
[4] airbus.com ↗
sats launched (total)first-party2026-07-06
[5] celestrak.org ↗
sats active (verified)computed2026-11-06
[6] en.wikipedia.org ↗
sats plannedwikipedia2026-07-05
faq
Who operates Sentinel-6?
Sentinel-6 is operated by EUMETSAT. as of 2026-07-05
How many Sentinel-6 satellites are active on orbit?
CelesTrak's catalog currently tracks 2 objects for Sentinel-6. as of 2026-11-06
When did Sentinel-6 first launch?
Sentinel-6 first launched on 2020-11-21. as of 2026-07-05