U.S.-European satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich was boosted into orbit Saturday morning in a textbook launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The launch went off on schedule at 9:17 a.m., and 3 minutes later the rumble from the 1.7 million pounds of thrust produced by the first stage’s nine Merlin 1 engines washed over the Central Coast.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Nov. 21. In the foreground, spectators watch from a park in Vandenberg Village.
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Spectators in Vandenberg Village shield their eyes from the sun as they watch the launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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The first-stage booster from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base after carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite toward orbit on Nov. 21.
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Starman poses for pictures with other astronaut spectators in a Vandenberg Village park before the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Nov. 21.
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Jared Head, of Downey, lines up a picture of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as he waits for liftoff in a Vandenberg Village park Saturday morning.
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An airplane flies by as the first-stage booster from a SpaceX Falcon 9 returns to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Saturday morning.
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Spectators in Vandenberg Village watch Saturday morning as the first-stage booster from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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Spectators in Vandenberg Village watch the Saturday morning launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the NASA-ESA Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite into orbit to study the surface heights of the Earth's oceans.
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Spectators in Vandenberg Village watch the Saturday morning launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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Spectators in Vandenberg Village watch the liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday morning to carry the NASA-ESA Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite into orbit.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Saturday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base to carry the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite into orbit to study the Earth's oceans.
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Spectators in Vandenberg Village watch the Saturday morning launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite.
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This screen capture from today's NASA stream of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the SpaceX rocket on its descent back to earth after the launch. The rocket would land back on Vandenberg Air Force Base minutes after launch.
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A screen capture from today's NASA stream of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the first stage booster returning to a picture-perfect landing next to the launch pad minutes after liftoff.
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A screen capture from today's NASA stream of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the view back toward Earth from rocket.
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A screen capture from today's NASA stream of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket following its launch from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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This screen capture from today's NASA stream of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the rocket on the pad before launch.
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A screen capture from today's NASA live stream shows the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite awaiting launch from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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The capsule containing the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite sits atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base in this screen capture from today's NASA stream of the launch.
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This screen capture from today's NASA stream of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the rocket on the pad before launch.
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This screen capture from today's NASA stream of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base shows the rocket makes its way to space after launch.
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U.S.-European satellite Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich was boosted into orbit Saturday morning …
In a letter sent to Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, Rep. Salud Carbajal and Sen. Dianne Feinstein sought a clarification on the selection process, specifically requesting information about how the base was evaluated.