N° 70–2025: Media invitation: online media briefings ahead of Copernicus Sentinel-6B launch
6 November 2025
Media are invited to join online press briefings on 13 November to hear about the latest sea-level monitoring satellite, Copernicus Sentinel-6B, which is due to launch no earlier than 17 November UTC. Officials from ESA, the European Commission, Eumetsat, NASA and marine applications users are set to not only share the latest information about this exciting mission but also to be on-hand to answer questions.
These multilingual sessions will offer exclusive insights into the mission, its objectives and the collaborative efforts behind the mission and the Copernicus programme.
Scheduled for launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA, the Copernicus Sentinel-6B satellite will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, assuming the role of the reference radar altimetry mission to continue the vital record of sea-surface height measurements through at least 2030.
To ensure the highest data accuracy and continuity, Sentinel-6B will orbit in tandem with Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich for its first year, allowing for precise cross-calibration of data from the two satellites.
With the importance of monitoring sea-level rise so high on the global agenda, numerous organisations have been involved in making Copernicus Sentinel-6 the gold-standard reference mission to take the record of sea-surface height measurements into the future, and to do this with greater precision than ever before.
Briefing schedule
13 November 11:00 - 12:00 CET (English)
Speakers:
- Pier Bargellini, Programme Manager for the Copernicus Space Segment, Earth Observation Programmes, ESA
- Phil Evans, Director General, Eumetsat
- Attilio Gambardella, Senior Policy Officer for Earth Observation, European Commission (DEFIS)
- NASA representative TBD
- Pierre-Yves Le Traon, Science Director, Mercator Ocean
Moderator: Emmet Fletcher, Head of the ESA Member States Outreach Office
13 November 12:00 - 13:00 CET (French)
Speakers:
- Pierre Potin, Head of Copernicus Space Office, Earth Observation Programmes, ESA
- Elisabeth Hamdouch-Fuehrer, Deputy Head of Earth Observation Unit, European Commission (DEFIS)
- Estelle Obligis, Marine Applications Competence Area Manager, EUMETSAT
- Pierre-Yves Le Traon, Science Director, Mercator Ocean
Moderator: Jules Grandsire, Media Relations Officer, ESA
Media registration
Journalists are invited to register at the following link
https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form/
Please choose the briefing you wish to take part in to receive connection details. Deadline for registration: 10 November, 12:00 CET.
For further information, please contact media@esa.int
ESA Web TV
The English pre-launch media briefing will be streamed via ESA Web TV.
About Sentinel-6B
The Sentinel-6B satellite is essentially identical to Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which was launched in November 2020 from the same launch site in the USA. These satellites continue the legacy of sea-surface height monitoring that began in 1992 with the French–US Topex Poseidon mission, followed by the Jason series of satellites.
While Sentinel-6 is one of the European Union’s family of Copernicus missions, its implementation is the result of an exceptional cooperation between the European Commission, ESA, NASA, Eumetsat and NOAA, with support from CNES, the French space agency.
ESA’s prime contractor for the build of the mission is Airbus Defence and Space in Germany with Thales Alenia Space in France responsible for the altimeter.
Further information
SENTINEL-6_factsheet_251105.pdf
ESA - Rehearsing for Sentinel-6B’s early days in space
Images
Copernicus Sentinel-6: measuring sea levels from space
ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:
https://photolibrary.esa.int/home-page/
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For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int
Videos
ESA's Video Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos
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About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int.
About the European Commission
The Directorate General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) leads the European Commission’s activities in the European defence industry and European space sectors. The European Commission is the owner and programme manager of the EU Space Programme. Its activities include assessing current trends, identifying emerging challenges, and ensuring that the objectives of the Space Programme are aligned with broader EU priorities such as innovation, economic growth, and security.
More about the role of the Commission here.