BackForward Satellite: Sentinel-6A 

Satellite details
Acronym Sentinel-6A
Full name Sentinel-6A
WIGOS Station Identifier ---
Satellite Description
  • 1st flight unit of the Sentinel-6 series, also named "Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich".  Formerly named JASON-CS-A.
  • Main mission: ocean topography and waves.
  • Substantial contribution to Solid Earth (geoid).
  • Significant contribution to space weather.
Mass at launch 1440 kg Dry mass 1191 kg
Power 891 W
Data access link https://user.eumetsat.int/search-view?term=sentinel%206&sort=score%20desc
Data access information
  • Data products for the Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission will be offered free of charge via EUMETSAT's EUMETCast service and the EUMETSAT Data Centre.
  • NRT data are available in NetCDF and BUFR formats
Orbit Drifting orbit Altitude 1336 km
Inclination 66 °

 

Space agency EUMETSAT , CNES, EC, ESA, NASA, NOAA
Status Operational
Details on Status
(as available)
Launch 21 Nov 2020 EOL ≥2027
Last update: 2024-07-22
Associated satellite programme and related satellites

Note: red tag: no longer operational , green tag: operational , blue tag : future

Satellite Payload

All known Instruments flying on Sentinel-6A

Acronym Full name
DORIS Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite
GPS GPS Receiver
LRA Laser Retroreflector Array
GNSS-RO Global Navigation Satellite System - Radio Occultation
Poseidon-4 Poseidon-4
RMU Radiation Monitor Unit (also referred to as NGRM)
AMR-C Advanced Microwave Radiometer - Climate Quality
HRMR High Resolution Microwave Radiometer
Show instrument status and calibration
Satellite frequencies for Earth Observation, data transfer and platform communications and control
Frequencies for satellite management
Service Direction Frequency (MHz) Emission designator Bandwidth (kHz) Polarisation D/A Data rate (kbps) or Baseband (kHz) Comments
DORIS E-S 401.25 MHz 23K0G1D 23 kHz RHCP D 0.2  kbps Precise positioning by DORIS
DORIS E-S 2036.25 MHz 95K0G1D 95 kHz RHCP D 0.2  kbps Precise positioning by DORIS
TM S-E 2256.75 MHz 1M75G1D 1750 kHz RHCP&LHCP D 1000  kbps Telemetry
Command E-S 2078.0906 MHz 1M00G1D 192 kHz RHCP D 16  kbps Commands
Earth observation MW frequencies
Service Sensing mode Frequency (GHz) Bandwidth (MHz) Polarisation Comments
Poseidon-4 active 5.41 GHz 320 MHz - C-band altimeter
Poseidon-4 active 13.575 GHz 320 MHz - Ku-band altimeter
AMR-C passive 18.7 GHz 200 MHz linear Window channel
AMR-C passive 23.8 GHz 400 MHz linear Water vapour channel
AMR-C passive 34 GHz 700 MHz linear Window channel
HRMR passive 90 GHz 5000 MHz linear High freq window channel
HRMR passive 130 GHz 5000 MHz linear High freq window channel
HRMR passive 168 GHz 5000 MHz linear Water vapour channel
Frequencies for scientific data acquisition and communication services at ground stations
Service Direction Frequency (MHz) Bandwidth (kHz) Polarisation D/A Data rate (kbps) or Baseband (kHz) Comments
XDD S-E 8090 MHz 120000 kHz RHCP&LHCP D 150000  kbps Data Downlink