SpaceX launches powerful Sentinel-6B ocean-mapping satellite for Europe and NASA

SpaceX为欧洲和美国国家航空航天局（NASA）发射“哨兵—6B”强力海洋测绘卫星

SpaceX launched an advanced ocean-mapping satellite to orbit from California early Monday morning (Nov. 17).

11月17日周一清晨，SpaceX从加利福尼亚州发射了一颗先进的海洋测绘卫星进入轨道。

The Sentinel-6B spacecraft lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Monday at 12:21 a.m. EDT (0521 GMT; 9:21 p.m. on Nov. 16 local California time).

周一，“哨兵-6B”于美国东部时间周一上午12:21（格林尼治标准时间05:21；加州当地时间11月16日晚9:21）航天器搭载猎鹰9号火箭从范登堡太空军基地发射升空。

"Sentinel-6B rising, extending nearly four decades of the precise sea-level record from space," NASA spokesman Derrol Nail said during the agency's launch webcast.

NASA发言人德罗尔·内尔(Derrol Nail)在该局的发射网络直播中表示：“哨兵-6B的升空，延长了近四十年来太空获取精确海平面数据的记录。”

Sentinel-6B is part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth-observing program. The new satellite will measure sea surface heights around the globe with great accuracy, continuing the work of its predecessor, Sentinel 6 Michael Frelich, which launched atop a Falcon 9 in November 2020.

“哨兵-6B”是欧盟哥白尼地球观测计划的组成部分。这颗新卫星将对全球海面高度进行精确测量，延续其前身Sentinel 6 Michael Frelich的工作，该卫星于2020年11月在猎鹰9号上发射。

"Monitoring sea-level rise is high on the global agenda," European Space Agency (ESA) officials wrote in a Sentinel-6B mission description.

欧洲航天局（ESA）官员在“哨兵-6B”任务说明中写道：“监测海平面上升是全球议程上的重要议题。”

"In the past 25 years, the average height of the world's oceans has risen by almost 10 cm [4 inches], according to data from Copernicus," they added. "The Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission has become the gold standard reference mission to monitor and record this key consequence of climate change."

他们补充道：“根据哥白尼计划的数据，在过去的25年里，全球海洋的平均高度上升了近10厘米（约4英寸）。哥白尼 '哨兵-6' 任务已成为监测和记录这一气候变化关键结果的黄金标准参考任务。”

Sentinel-6B will do this work using a radar altimeter instrument developed by ESA. The satellite also carries a NASA-provided microwave radiometer, which will determine atmospheric water content, allowing for more accurate interpretation of the altimeter's results.

“哨兵-6B”将借助ESA研发的雷达高度计仪器完成这项工作。该卫星还搭载了NASA提供的微波辐射计，该辐射计可测定大气含水量，从而更准确地解释高度计的测量结果。

During its first year of observations, Sentinel-6B will work with Sentinel 6 Michael Frelich, "enabling greater accuracy with precise cross-calibration between the two instruments," ESA officials wrote about the mission, which is a collaboration among the European Commission, ESA, NASA, Eumetsat, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with support from the French space agency CNES.

EAS官员介绍，在第一年的观测中，“哨兵-6B”将与“哨兵6号（迈克尔·弗莱利希号）”协同工作，“通过两种仪器之间的精确交叉校准，进一步提升测量精度”。该任务由欧盟委员会、ESA、NASA、欧洲气象卫星组织（Eumetsat）和美国国家海洋和大气管理局合作开展，并得到了法国航天局（CNES）的支持。

If all goes according to plan on Monday morning, the Falcon 9's upper stage will deploy Sentinel-6B about 57 minutes after liftoff. The 3,175-pound (1,440 kilograms) satellite will then make its way to its science orbit, which lies 830 miles (1,336 kilometers) above Earth.

若周一上午一切按计划进行，猎鹰9号的上面级将在升空后约57分钟释放“哨兵-6B”。然后，这颗重3,175磅（1,440千克）的卫星将进入距离地球830英里（1,336公里）的科学轨道。

The Falcon 9's first stage, meanwhile, came back to Vandenberg for a landing about nine minutes after liftoff as planned It was the third flight for this particular booster; its previous two missions lofted batches of SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites, according to the company.

与此同时，猎鹰9号的一级助推器按计划在升空后约9分钟返回范登堡着陆，据SpaceX介绍，这枚助推器已经是第三次执行任务，前两次任务均负责将该公司的“星链”宽带卫星群送入轨道。

Editor's note: This story was updated at 12:33 a.m. ET on Nov. 17 with news of successful launch and rocket landing.

编者按：本文已于美国东部时间11月17日上午12:33更新，补充了成功发射和火箭着陆的消息。