Unmasking Earth’s Mysteries: NISAR’s Dual Radar Eyes Ready for Launch

Following decades of waiting and technological delays, the collaborative ISRO-NASA NISAR mission is finally set to launch in June 2025. The historic Earth observation satellite, confirmed by Indian authorities, will launch aboard ISRO's GSLV-F16 from Sriharikota, marking a significant achievement in Indo-US space cooperation.

 

Key Highlights:

 

Historic Collaboration: NISAR is the maiden satellite with dual-frequency synthetic aperture radars—NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band—providing unprecedented accuracy in tracking Earth's surface changes.

 

Mission Scope: With a weight of 2.8 tonnes and price tag of more than ₹5,800 crore, NISAR will survey almost all land and ice surfaces every 12 days, detecting changes of a few centimeters even beneath clouds or dense forests.

 

Scientific Contribution: The information will transform disaster response, climate science, glacier and forest monitoring, and infrastructure surveillance, and all data freely available to researchers and agencies.

 

Technical Challenges Overcome: Launch, originally planned for 2024, postponed due to difficulties with the satellite's 12-meter radar antenna reflector, now overcome following rigorous testing and upgrades.

 

Countdown Starts: Final preparations are in motion, with both the agencies checking for launch windows and affirming preparedness for this high-risk, globally important mission.

 

NISAR's launch will revolutionize our knowledge about Earth's dynamic processes and establishes India's place in advanced global space science.

 

Sources: Times of India, The Indian Express, IDRW