NASA-ISRO successfully launch NISAR: The world's most expensive satellite lifts off from Sriharikota

In a milestone collaboration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite on July 30 at 5.40 p.m. The lift-off took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, with India’s GSLV-F16 rocket carrying the satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit 743 kilometres above Earth.

NASA-ISRO NISAR to Monitor Earth Changes Every 12 Days
NISAR marks the first joint Earth-observing satellite developed by India and the United States. Designed to orbit the planet every 12 days, the satellite will provide high-resolution, all-weather data to study dynamic changes on Earth’s surface.

The observatory will track a broad spectrum of changes, such as ground movements due to earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes. It will also monitor long-term phenomena like forest cover change, glacier retreat, sea level rise, and changes in groundwater.

Dual-Band Radar Technology to Power Earth Observation
Both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radars are installed in NISAR, allowing it to provide high-resolution and persistent imaging of the planet's surface over time. The two-band setup allows for accurate measurements of land deformation, wetland and forest biomass even through dense vegetation or clouds.