NASA selects SpaceX Falcon 9 and ULA Atlas V for future missions from California

Both SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have been selected by NASA to launch two science payloads from California in 2020 and 2021.

Vandenberg Air Force Base will play host to both launches, the first of which is targeted for November 2020 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. That mission will take Sentinel-6A, a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the European Space Agency and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, to orbit.

Sentinel-6A, also known as Jason Continuity of Service, will study ocean topography and global sea surface height. It will also observe temperature changes to help with weather prediction. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, will manage the mission.

“We’re proud of our continued partnership with NASA and the confidence they have placed in our company as a reliable launch provider," SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement. "SpaceX is looking forward to the opportunity to carry yet another critical science payload – Sentinel 6A – into orbit for NASA, the nation and the international community.”

The total cost for NASA to launch Sentinel-6A on Falcon 9 is valued at $97 million, the agency said.

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ULA, meanwhile, secured a contract to launch NASA's Landsat 9 mission by June 2021 with the option of launching as soon as December 2020. An Atlas V rocket without any side-strapped solid rocket engines will vault the NASA – U.S. Geological Survey joint spacecraft to orbit.

Landsat 9 will help the agencies study and manage "land resources needed to sustain human life," according to a release. Land changes prompted by human development and subsequent effects, for example, is one of several things the mission aims to understand.

 “We are honored that NASA has entrusted ULA with launching this critical land imaging satellite,” said Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and chief executive officer, in a statement. “ULA’s world-leading performance and reliability, paired with the tremendous heritage of 74 consecutive successful Atlas V launches, provides the optimal value for our customer."

The ride on Atlas V will cost NASA $153 million.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.