India and the United States have achieved a major success in space collaboration with the launch of the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite. The satellite was sent into space on Wednesday evening by India’s GSLV-F16 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The rocket successfully placed the 2,393 kg satellite into a special type of orbit — a 747 km sun-synchronous polar orbit — about 19 minutes after launch. This marks the first time a GSLV rocket has placed a satellite in this orbit.
What is NISAR?
NISAR is a unique Earth observation satellite developed by NASA and ISRO over the past ten years. It carries a special dual-band radar system (L-band from NASA and S-band from ISRO) that can capture very detailed images — even changes as small as a few centimetres — of the Earth’s surface.
This satellite will circle the Earth every 12 days, mapping land, ice, and oceans. It will help scientists track changes in:
- Ecosystems
- Groundwater
- Sea levels
- Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica
- Crops and wetlands
- Earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, and floods
- Underground resources like water and oil
How Will It Help?
NISAR’s detailed images will support early warnings for natural disasters, improve disaster response, and help assess damage to infrastructure. It will also help scientists study environmental changes and the health of Earth’s surface and ecosystems.
Who Built What?
- ISRO built the S-band radar, satellite body, launch system, and data handling units.
- NASA provided the L-band radar, high-speed data recorders, GPS systems, and a large 12-meter radar antenna boom.
ISRO will control the satellite’s day-to-day operations. NASA will assist with the satellite’s movements in orbit and radar activities. Both space agencies will use their ground stations to receive the data and then share it with scientists and researchers around the world.
This was the 18th launch of a GSLV rocket and the 12th time it used India’s own cryogenic engine. It also marked the 102nd mission from the Sriharikota spaceport.
The NISAR satellite is a big step forward in global Earth observation. It will help both India and the US — and the world — better understand our planet and respond faster to natural disasters.
