NASA-ISRO mission: ‘NISAR satellite launch by July 30,’ Chairman V Narayanan confirms, drops update on Gaganyaan mission

 “We are going to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite through the GSLV-S16 rocket by July 30th. We will conduct three uncrewed missions before the Gaganyaan Mission,” ANI quoted ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan as saying. 

He added, “In December, a humanoid mission will be conducted, during which a robot called Vyommitra will be sent into space. If it’s successful, then two uncrewed missions will be launched next year. After all the tests in March 2027, as PM Modi said, Gaganyan Mission will be launched.”

Purpose of NISAR mission

Through the upcoming US-India NISAR mission, scientists aim to study and analyse Earth’s ever-changing surface. According to NASA, this satellite will measure land deformation, including earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes. The insights from this mission will help in producing data for science and disaster response. 

“It will track how much glaciers and ice sheets are advancing or retreating and it will monitor growth and loss of forests and wetlands for insights on the global carbon cycle,” NASA stated.

The NISAR mission will measure the motion of nearly all of the planet’s land and ice-covered surfaces twice every 12 days. Combined with measurements from other satellites and instruments, NISAR’s data will provide a comprehensive and detailed picture of how Earth’s surface moves horizontally and vertically.

How is NISAR mission different from other Earth missions

NISAR boasts two kinds of radar, one consists of an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength while the other is an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength. Thus, its successful launch will make it first Earth-observing satellite with dual radar. Focus areas of study using NISAR data will be ecosystems, cryosphere, and solid Earth. Besides this, the data will also help in deep understanding of soil-moisture and water resources monitoring.