A cutting-edge satellite, jointly developed by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is set to launch this Wednesday at 17:40 IST (12:10 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in southern India. The mission, called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), will use dual-frequency radar technology—NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band—to monitor Earth’s surface with unprecedented accuracy.
Weighing 2,392kg, NISAR will orbit the planet in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, allowing it to pass over the same regions every 12 days. This consistent scanning will help detect minute changes in land, sea, and ice—down to just a few centimeters. The data gathered will support global disaster preparedness, monitor climate change, and track both natural and human-driven transformations of Earth’s surface.
NASA calls it “the most sophisticated radar we’ve ever built,” capable of identifying early signs of earthquakes, landslides, glacier melting, and even human-made structures like bridges and buildings. This follows India’s recent Axiom-4 milestone, where an Indian astronaut joined the International Space Station for the first time.
With powerful observational capabilities, NISAR is expected to redefine how scientists understand dynamic changes on Earth—making it a mission not just for the U.S. and India, but for the entire planet.
#1India and US to Launch Groundbreaking Earth-Observing Satellite ‘NISAR’
A new Earth-monitoring satellite, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), is set to launch on Wednesday at 17:40 IST (12:10 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in southern India. Weighing 2,392 kg, this state-of-the-art satellite will monitor Earth’s surface with unprecedented precision — detecting even centimeter-level changes in land, sea, and ice.
Developed jointly by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the $1.5 billion mission represents a decade of collaboration. The satellite, described as “the most advanced radar we’ve ever built” by NASA, is the first of its kind to use dual radar frequencies: NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band.
NISAR will be deployed into a sun-synchronous polar orbit, allowing it to scan the same areas every 12 days. This consistent revisit pattern will generate rich data for climate change tracking, disaster management, and environmental monitoring. According to former NASA scientist Mila Mitra, the satellite will detect land deformation, ice melt, coastal erosion, and forest disturbances — all vital indicators of Earth's evolving health.
“This radar will help us identify early signs of natural hazards like earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity,” said Karen St. Germain, Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division. “We’ll also monitor man-made changes due to agriculture, infrastructure, and urban expansion.”
The satellite’s full deployment will take around 90 days, after which it will begin transmitting scientific data. Built amid the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic by teams working on opposite sides of the globe, NISAR symbolizes international resilience and innovation.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan praised the mission as a “life-saving satellite” and a testament to India’s growing leadership in space. Science Minister Jitendra Singh called it a “defining moment in India-US space collaboration,” highlighting it as a boost to ISRO’s global standing.
The launch follows a string of milestones for India’s space program — including a historic Moon landing near the lunar south pole in 2023, and the recent success of AX-4, which marked Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s journey to the International Space Station.
Looking ahead, ISRO plans to launch its first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, in 2027, establish a space station by 2035, and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
NISAR is more than a satellite — it’s a scientific handshake between India and the world.
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