SpaceX achieved another major milestone today as a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the Sentinel-6B ocean-monitoring satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The mission not only delivered a critical climate-science spacecraft to orbit but also marked the 500th overall Falcon mission, a number unmatched by any other active orbital launch system.
The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the targeted time, carrying Sentinel-6B on a trajectory to low Earth orbit. Within minutes, Falcon 9’s flight-proven first stage separated cleanly and returned for a precise landing on the drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean. This booster had already flown multiple missions, reaffirming SpaceX’s dominance in reusable launch technology.
Sentinel-6B, developed in collaboration with NASA, ESA, EUMETSAT, and NOAA, will continue a decades-long record of measuring global sea levels and monitoring Earth’s oceans with unprecedented accuracy. Its data will help scientists track sea-level rise, climate patterns, and long-term environmental changes.
With today’s launch, SpaceX’s Falcon family has now flown 500 times, including Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy flights — a record that places SpaceX far ahead in reliability, cadence, and reusability.
