India Launches NASA–ISRO NISAR Satellite

India successfully launched the NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on July 31, 2025, aboard the GSLV-F16 rocket. This marks the first collaborative Earth observation mission between ISRO and NASA and a major step in global climate and disaster monitoring.

What is NISAR?

• Full Form: NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar
• Mission Type: Earth observation using dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
• Mission Duration: 5 years (2025–2030)
• Orbit: Sun-synchronous polar orbit at 747 km altitude
• Launch Vehicle: GSLV-F16 (first GSLV mission into polar orbit)

Mission Objectives

• Monitor minute land and ice surface changes at centimetre-level precision
• Detect and forecast natural disasters including earthquakes, floods, landslides, and volcanic activity
• Track changes in vegetation, wetlands, glaciers, and soil moisture
• Aid sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, water, and climate management

Technological Features

• Dual-frequency SAR capability:
  • L-band (NASA) for deeper surface penetration
  • S-band (ISRO) for higher-resolution imaging
• 242 km swath width with global revisit every 12 days
• All-weather, 24/7 imaging capability — works through clouds and darkness
• 12-metre deployable reflector antenna enables SweepSAR for wide-area monitoring

Contributions by NASA and ISRO

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