NASA-ISRO's Earth-monitoring satellite to be launched on June 18

NASA-ISRO's Earth-monitoring satellite to be launched on June 18

NASA and ISRO are set to launch their first joint satellite mission, NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), in a few days.

The $1.5 billion project will be launched on June 18 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre near Chennai.

The nearly three-tonne satellite comes with a 12-meter radar antenna and can detect changes on Earth's surface down to the centimeter level in almost real time, regardless of weather conditions or time of day.

What is NISAR?

NISAR, a joint project between NASA and ISRO, uses synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology to capture images of Earth.

Unlike traditional Earth observation satellites that depend on reflected sunlight for imaging, SAR satellites actively send a radar signal toward the surface and detect its reflection.

This allows them to capture images both during day and night, even in cloudy or smoky conditions.

Data to be freely available globally

The NISAR satellite is expected to be instrumental in future disaster management efforts.

It will provide high-resolution images of nearly all land and ice surfaces on Earth twice every 12 days.

The data from this mission will be made freely available globally, improving our understanding of Earth's ecosystems and climate change impacts.

Will provide higher resolution imagery than Sentinel-1 satellites

The NISAR satellite will be the first SAR satellite to employ two complementary radar frequencies instead of one.

It will provide higher resolution imagery than the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellites and cover more of Antarctica.

Its dual capabilities of penetrating vegetation and detecting water will help accurately map flooded vegetation, offering insights into Earth's wetlands—vital ecosystems with high biodiversity and carbon storage capacity.

Will also monitor agricultural parameters

The NISAR satellite will also be beneficial for agricultural purposes, as it can estimate soil moisture levels with high precision in all weather conditions.

This data could help determine optimal irrigation times to ensure healthy vegetation and improve water use efficiency and crop yields.

The satellite will also monitor forest biomass, track ice sheet flow and glaciers, coastal erosion, and oil spills.