The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is getting ready for considered one of its most vital house ventures to date—the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. Scheduled for liftoff on July 30, 2025, at 5:40 PM IST, the mission will use the GSLV-F16 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. NISAR represents a landmark in worldwide house collaboration, integrating NASA’s experience in L-band radar know-how with ISRO’s advanced S-band radar methods. The mission is designed to produce high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging of Earth, enabling scientists to monitor essential environmental adjustments reminiscent of land subsidence, glacier motion, and ecosystem well being with unmatched precision. This makes NISAR one of the vital advanced Earth remark missions ever developed.
The NISAR launch occasion can be streamed live on ISRO’s official YouTube channel, beginning at 5:10 PM IST to enable global audiences to witness the historic second. Following liftoff, the GSLV-F16 rocket will place the NISAR satellite right into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 740 kilometers inside 19 minutes of flight. This orbit will allow steady protection of Earth’s floor underneath constant lighting situations, which is essential for correct knowledge comparability over time.This launch is notable as it’s ISRO’s 102nd general mission and its first GSLV launch devoted to a radar-based Earth remark satellite. The mission underscores India’s rising function in global house science and its capability to execute extremely complicated worldwide collaborations.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is designed to research Earth’s altering dynamics in unprecedented element, offering important knowledge for the global scientific neighborhood. According to ISRO, the satellite’s major goals embody:
NISAR may also focus on seasonal adjustments in forest cowl, detect mountain shifts, and monitor glacier actions in essential areas such because the Himalayas, Antarctica, and polar areas. This knowledge will enhance climate modeling, catastrophe preparedness, and pure useful resource administration.
The NISAR mission has been a decade within the making, taking 8–10 years to design, develop, and combine its advanced payloads and methods. Scientists from ISRO and NASA labored in shut collaboration, combining their radar applied sciences and engineering experience to construct one of the vital refined Earth remark satellites ever developed.Following its launch, scientists will conduct an preliminary part referred to as satellite commissioning, making certain all methods operate optimally earlier than full-scale Earth remark operations start.
NISAR is considered probably the most advanced radar imaging satellite ever developed by NASA and ISRO. It carries two refined radar methods:
This dual-band functionality offers NISAR an unparalleled benefit in offering all-weather, day-and-night knowledge, unaffected by cloud cowl or atmospheric situations. The knowledge will allow steady monitoring of Earth’s ecosystems, serving to predict pure disasters like earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Scientists may also use it to research crop well being, city growth, and the influence of climate change on polar ice caps and sea ranges.(*30*)
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) F16 is a three-stage rocket engineered for heavy-payload missions. Standing 51.7 meters tall and weighing roughly 420 tons, it includes:
This marks the ninth use of an indigenous cryogenic stage, showcasing India’s self-reliance in high-end house propulsion know-how. The cryogenic engine’s effectivity is essential in attaining exact orbital insertion, permitting NISAR to operate at its full potential for Earth remark missions.
NISAR is designed to scan the complete planet twice each 12 days. Over its three-year baseline mission, it is going to present high-resolution imagery of Earth each six days, enabling near-real-time environmental monitoring. Unlike earlier Indian Earth remark satellites that primarily centered on home purposes, NISAR’s global mission profile means its knowledge will profit scientists, governments, and industries worldwide.Applications of NISAR knowledge embody:
By delivering steady, high-quality radar knowledge, NISAR is predicted to rework global environmental administration and climate analysis, making it one of the vital influential Earth science missions of this decade.Also Read | NASA alert! Asteroid 2025 OL1 set for shut Earth encounter on July 30 at 16,900 mph; scientists monitor uncommon near-Earth flyby