$1.5 Billion NASA-ISRO Earth observation satellite NISAR to launch from India in July

An equal collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, NISAR will offer unprecedented insights into Earth’s constantly changing land and ice surfaces using synthetic aperture radar technology. The spacecraft, depicted here in an artist’s concept, will launch from India. (Image: NASA)

After years of quiet collaboration, a major milestone is now near. NASA and ISRO are preparing to launch the $1.5 billion satellite, NISAR, from India this July. The mission is expected to reshape how scientists observe our planet.

NISAR — short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar — will lift off aboard a GSLV Mark II rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Weighing nearly three tonnes, the satellite will orbit Earth every 12 days, mapping the planet with remarkable precision.

A new eye in the sky
Jointly developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ISRO’s Space Applications Centre, NISAR is the world’s first Earth-observing satellite with dual-frequency radar. It uses L-band and S-band SAR technology to send radar pulses to the ground and analyse their return.

Unlike optical satellites, NISAR can see through clouds, smoke, and even vegetation. It collects images day and night, in all weather. The satellite’s scans will help track earthquakes, floods, landslides, soil moisture, glacier melt, and changes in agricultural patterns.

Global benefits through free data
What sets NISAR apart is its open data policy. Its high-resolution imagery and data will be made available freely to scientists, agencies, and governments across the globe.

Its capacity to measure ground movement of a few millimetres makes it critical for tracking tectonic movements and coastal erosion. It also aids in monitoring groundwater variation, forest biomass, and dam integrity, helping with climate science as well as disaster relief.

Ready for launch following decade of work
This mission has involved more than a decade of collaborative work. ISRO and NASA engineers collaborated in the Bengaluru facility starting in March 2023, integrating and testing.