The Sentinel-6 was developed by
European Space Agency (ESA) in the context of the European
Copernicus Programme led by the
European Commission, the
European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT),
NASA, and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission and technical support from France's National Centre for Space Studies (
CNES, Centre national d'études spatiales). The Sentinel-6 mission is part of the Copernicus programme initiative, the main objective of the Sentinel-6 mission is to measure
sea surface topography with high accuracy and reliability to support ocean forecasting systems,
environmental monitoring and climate monitoring. The mission definition is driven by the need for continuity in provision of
TOPEX/Poseidon mission and
Jason satellite series (
Jason-1,
OSTM/Jason-2, and
Jason-3) with improvements in instrument performance and coverage. ESA, NASA, and EUMETSAT will provide mission management and system engineering support. EUMETSAT and NASA will be responsible for long-term archives of altimetry data products. All partners will be involved with the selection of science investigators.
Responsibilities of partners ESA • has responsibility for the development of the first satellite and the ground prototype processors, and for procurement of the second satellite on behalf of EUMETSAT and the European Commission • has responsibility for conducting the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) of both satellites • supports flight operations performed by EUMETSAT EUMETSAT • has responsibility for ground segment development and coordination at system level, including for operations preparation • has responsibility for conducting operations of the two satellites after LEOP performed by ESA • has responsibility for conducting operations of the European part of the ground segment, including processing of altimeter data and delivery of product services to European users NASA • has responsibility for the development and delivery of the U.S. payload instruments, the microwave radiometer and the GNSS radio occultation receiver • provides launch services for both satellites • provides ground segment development support and will contribute to operations and data processing on the U.S. side, including processing of GNSS radio occultation data • with NOAA, shares responsibility for the distribution of products to research and operational users in the U.S. NOAA • provides a U.S. ground station for tracking and command of the satellite and data downlinks • with NASA, shares responsibility for the distribution of products to research and operational users in the U.S. CNES • has responsibility for processing higher-level products (L2P, L3) • has responsibility for providing precise orbit determination and support for Doris and altimeter operations == Instruments ==