The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite tv for pc was efficiently launched on Wednesday (July 30, 2025) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F16 rocket carrying the earth observation satellite tv for pc lifted off from the second launch pad of the area centre at 5.40 p.m. Eighteen minutes later, it injected the satellite tv for pc right into a sun-synchronous orbit.
Also Read: NISAR mission launch highlights
“The GSLV-F16 vehicle has successfully and precisely injected the NISAR satellite weighing 2,392 kg into its intended orbit,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V. Narayanan stated after the launch.
First three way partnership
The NISAR, which has a mission life of 5 years, is the primary satellite tv for pc collectively developed by the ISRO and the U.S.’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Casey Swails, Deputy Associate Administrator at NASA, stated NISAR will give decision-makers the instruments to observe vital infrastructure, reply quicker and smarter to pure disasters akin to earthquakes, floods, and landslides, in addition to map farmland to enhance crop output and extra.
24-hour knowledge
The NISAR satellite tv for pc will scan the earth and supply all-weather, day-and-night knowledge at 12-day intervals, and allow a variety of functions.
“NISAR can detect even small changes on the earth’s surface, such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement, and vegetation dynamics. Further applications include sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterisation, changes in soil moisture, mapping and monitoring of surface water resources, and disaster response,” the ISRO said.
NASA stated that mission controllers for the NASA-ISRO NISAR mission had acquired full acquisition of sign from the spacecraft.
NISAR is the primary satellite tv for pc to look at the earth with a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) — NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band — each utilizing NASA’s 12-metre unfurlable mesh reflector antenna, built-in with ISRO’s modified I3K satellite tv for pc bus.
It will observe earth with a swathe of 242 km and excessive spatial decision, utilizing SweepSAR know-how for the primary time.
Also learn: NISAR satellite tv for pc will be capable to monitor tectonic actions precisely, says ISRO chief
According to NASA officers, its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) constructed the radar antenna reflection, radar antenna increase, L-Band SAR and engineering payload, whereas the ISRO developed the spacecraft bus, photo voltaic array S-band SAR and the launch automobile.
The NISAR mission is broadly labeled into completely different phases – launch, deployment, commissioning and science phases.
The launch section has been completed with the launch of the GSLV-F16 rocket.
During the deployment section, a 12-metre reflector antenna might be deployed in orbit 9 metres away from the satellite tv for pc by a posh multistage deployable increase. The deployment course of will start on the tenth day after the launch. This might be adopted by the commissioning section.
“The first 90 days after launch will be dedicated to commissioning, or in-orbit checkout, the objective of which is to prepare the observatory for science operations. Commissioning is divided into sub-phases of initial checks and calibrations of mainframe elements followed by JPL engineering payload and instrument checkout,” the ISRO stated.
The last science operations section begins on the finish of commissioning and extends until the tip of NISAR’s five-year mission life. “During this phase, the science orbit will be maintained via regular manoeuvres, scheduled to avoid or minimise conflicts with science observations. Extensive calibration and validation activities will take place,” the ISRO stated.
This is the primary time {that a} GSLV has put a satellite tv for pc in a sun-synchronous polar orbit.
Relief to ISRO
The profitable launch of the NISAR comes as a reduction to the ISRO because it had suffered back-to-back setbacks. Its earlier launch, the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 mission on May 18, 2025 couldn’t be completed as a consequence of a technical glitch.
The area company additionally suffered a setback with the NVS-02 satellite tv for pc, which was launched by a GSLV on January 29, 2025. Post launch, the ISRO was unable to carry out the supposed orbit-raising operations for the NVS-02 satellite tv for pc as a consequence of a valve malfunction.
