An ocean observation satellite set to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base later this year has been renamed in honor of a longtime NASA Earth Science Division director.
The Sentinel-6A/Jason CS satellite, scheduled to launch this fall will now be known as Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, according to an announcement Tuesday.
Freilich retired last year after leading NASA’s Earth Science Division since 2006 and had overseen multiple missions, including many launched from Vandenberg.
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich will head to space aboard a Space Exploration Technologies Falcon 9 rocket set to take off from Space Launch Complex-4 on South Base.
“This honor demonstrates the global reach of Mike’s legacy,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
NASA – along with ESA (European Space Agency), the European Commission (EC), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – made the announcement during a special event at the agency’s headquarters.
“We are grateful for ESA and the European partners’ generosity in recognizing Mike’s lifelong dedication to understanding our planet and improving life for everyone on it. Mike’s contributions to NASA – and to earth science worldwide – have been invaluable, and we are thrilled that this satellite bearing his name will uncover new knowledge about the oceans for which he has such an abiding passion,” Bridenstine added.
During Freilich’s time at NASA headquarters, he oversaw 16 successful major mission and instrument launches and eight CubeSat/small-satellite launches.
“Earth science shows perhaps more than any other discipline how important partnership is to the future of this planet,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science. “Mike exemplifies the commitment to excellence, generosity of spirit and unmatched ability to inspire trust that made so many people across the world want to advance big goals on behalf of our planet and all its people by working with NASA.
“The fact that ESA and the European partners have given him this unprecedented honor demonstrates that respect and admiration,” Zurbuchen added.
Freilich frequently attended launches involving earth science missions from Vandenberg and enthusiastically spoke about the vital information collected by the satellites.
“This is a fitting honor for a man who helped transform space-based earth observation and has brought together the best contributions from our global earth science community to improve our collective understanding of how our planet is changing,” said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.
NOAA uses data from missions such as Sentinel-6 in a variety of ways, from monitoring the rate of global sea-level rise to producing more accurate weather forecasts.
The new satellite’s mission aims to continue ocean altimetry measurements in the 2020/2030 timeframe using two identical satellites launching five years apart – Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich and Sentinel-6B.
The pair of spacecraft will replace older satellites nearing the end of their operational lifespan to ensure there are no gaps in data for land, atmosphere and ocean monitoring.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
