France, Nov. 17 -- The Copernicus Sentinel-6B Earth-observation satellite has successfully been launched from the U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), California, by a Falcon 9 vehicle operated by SpaceX.Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), supplied the Poseidon-4 radar altimeter and the S-band TT&C transponders for Sentinel-6B, built by Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor for the European Space Agency (ESA). The Sentinel-6 mission is part of Copernicus, the Earth-observation component of the European Union's Space Programme, and the result of a unique collaboration between the European Commission, ESA, Eumetsat, NASA and NOAA, with support from the French space agency CNES.For one yea...