Failed Rocket Launch (taken by Sven Krasser)

Rocket launches are exciting, risky, and a necessary step in getting to space. As NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and others continue to make strides in rocket technology, performance, and reusability, we see on a fairly regular basis the complexity and difficulty of launching satellites, humans, and cargo to space – sometimes ending in explosions similar to the photo above. We also get to experience the awe of successful launches and, at times, the intense shock waves and sounds of returning boosters.

This post is a double feature of the launches for two of my flight missions – one successful and one not-so-successful… 

Sentinel-6 Launch, Take 2!

A RACE to T – 0

Having Fun at the Sentinel-6B Launch Pad Viewing

Sentinel-6B, the sister satellite to Sentinel-6A (named Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich), was scheduled to launch five years after Sentinel-6A launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. I was fortunate to see the Sentinel-6A launch in November 2020 and participate in the public outreach and media activities, and you can learn more about that adventure in my “A Beautiful Day for a Launch” post.

Just over 10 years ago, I was anxiously watching the rocket carrying one of my first satellites to space in a viewing area approximately two miles from the launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. My teammates and I excitedly counted down to T – 0 and shouted with joy when the rocket engines began firing.