25 Nov 2020

With NASA's Eyes on the Earth web-based app, you can tag along with the U.S.-European satellite as it orbits the globe, gathering critical measurements of our changing planet.

When Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich was encapsulated in the payload fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, it was the last time human eyes would have a close-up look at the satellite. But now that the spacecraft is in orbit after launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California on Nov. 21, NASA's Eyes on the Earth is keeping track.

The app provides a 3D visualization of the sea-level-monitoring satellite, letting you see where it is right now as it glides over the cloud-covered globe.

Rendered in stunning detail, the spacecraft's avatar even includes the instruments it will use to measure sea level height and gather atmospheric data. With the click of a mouse, you can rotate the satellite to see it from any angle, watch it fly above Earth in real-time, or speed it up to see its entire five-and-a-half-year mission unfold over a few minutes.

"What we create for Eyes is an engineering model of the real thing. You can get lost in the detail - not just in how the sunlight reflects off the spacecraft's solar panels but how you can track its exact location in orbit," said Jason Craig, visualization producer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "We have data streaming from space missions near and far, and we've put that data to work. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is only the latest spacecraft to be added to the growing number of missions."

As a bonus, the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite model has also been added to the Webby award-winning Eyes on the Solar System. The web-based application has customizable pop-up menus that allow you to zoom in and out to see where Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is in comparison with other Earth-observing satellites. You can even put it side-by-side with other spacecraft orbiting other planets.

While you're exploring, zoom through the rest of the solar system and travel to distant worlds with Eyes on ExoPlanets.

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The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California on Nov. 21. NASA's Eyes visualization tools lets you track the spacecraft as begins its mission to measure sea level height as it orbits Earth.