Ajit Karn
The US Air Force C-17 aircraft landed in Bengaluru on Wednesday and transferred the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) NISAR to the Indian space agency, marking a significant milestone in US-Indian space cooperation relations.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation are working together to develop NISAR, an Earth-observation satellite (ISRO).
NISAR was conceived by NASA and ISRO eight years ago, in 2014, as a powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool that would help us study Earth’s dynamic land and ice surfaces in greater detail than ever before.
It is expected to launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre into a near-polar orbit in January 2024.
The satellite will be operational for at least three years. It is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory. In 12 days, NISAR will map the entire world.
NISAR will be the first space-based radar of its kind to systematically map Earth using two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface that are less than one centimetre wide.
NISAR will provide a wealth of data and information about changes in the Earth’s surface, natural hazards, and ecosystem disturbances, thereby advancing our understanding of Earth system processes and climate change.
The mission will provide essential data to aid in the management of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, allowing for quicker response times and more accurate risk assessments.
By providing information on crop growth, soil moisture, and land-use changes, NISAR data will be used to enhance agriculture management and food security.
The mission will provide data for infrastructure monitoring and management, such as monitoring oil spills, urbanisation, and deforestation.
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NISAR will aid in the monitoring and comprehension of the effects of climate change on the Earth’s land surface, including melting glaciers, sea-level rise, and changes in carbon storage.
