Sentinel-6A GNSS-POD: Raw Satellite Navigation Data in RINEX-3 Format

Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich, launched on November 21, 2020, provides Level 1B Global Navigation Satellite System Precise Orbit Determination data. The dataset contains raw satellite navigation data in Receiver Independent Exchange Format version 3, supporting the mission's objective to collect high-resolution vertical profiles of temperature and humidity. This data is used to assess atmospheric changes in the troposphere and stratosphere and to support numerical weather prediction.

Use Cases

• Precise orbit determination for the Sentinel-6A satellite based on raw GNSS data.
• Generating vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and humidity using GNSS radio occultation sounding techniques.
• Assessing long-term temperature and humidity changes in the troposphere and stratosphere for climate monitoring.
• Assimilating precise satellite orbit and atmospheric data into numerical weather prediction models to improve forecast accuracy.

Strengths

• Data is from a major international satellite mission involving NASA, EUMETSAT, ESA, NOAA, and CNES, indicating a high level of institutional credibility.
• Provides raw data in the standardized RINEX-3 format, which is widely adopted for GNSS data exchange and processing.
• The dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov), suggesting validation and ongoing curation.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting across sources; specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without a clear link to the actual terms, which could restrict use.
• The 'last updated' date of 2026-04-09 appears to be a future date, indicating a potential metadata error that casts doubt on freshness.

Provenance

Source

European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) from the Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich satellite.

Collection Method

Generated from the satellite's GNSS receiver as part of the Precise Orbit Determination process.

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:05:30.757893 (Note: This is a future date, suggesting a metadata error.)

Geography

Global, from the orbit of the Sentinel-6A satellite.