NISAR SATELLITE - SCI
& TECH
News: NISAR satellite will be able
to monitor tectonic movements accurately, says ISRO chief
What's in the news?
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The NISAR satellite was originally planned for
launch in July, but has now been delayed to October-November due to issues on
the U.S. side, requiring corrections to the spacecraft.
NASA-ISRO Synthetic
Aperture Radar (NISAR):
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NISAR is a satellite jointly developed by NASA and
ISRO for Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
observation.
Objective:
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To monitor tectonic movements, water bodies, water
stress, vegetation cover, snow cover, and more.
Features:
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It is an SUV-sized satellite, weighing around 2,800
kilograms.
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Function - can fully cover Earth in 14-15 days.
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Imaging Frequency: captures images of Earth's
land, ice sheets, and sea ice every 12
days.
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Surface Movement Detection - detects the earth's
surface movement as small as 0.4 inches over an area.
Duration - 3 years.
Contributions of NASA
and ISRO:
NASA's Contribution:
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NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data,
and a payload data subsystem.
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Antenna reflector is another important component of the satellite,
made up of a gold-plated wire mesh.
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The reflector will be used to focus “the radar
signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument
structure”.
ISRO's contribution:
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ISRO has provided the S-band radar, the GSLV launch system and spacecraft.
Significance of NISAR:
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Earth Surface Monitoring: Tracks subtle changes
in the Earth's surface.
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Volcanic Eruptions: Spots warning signs of
imminent volcanic eruptions.
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Groundwater Monitoring: Helps monitor groundwater
supplies.
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Ice Sheet Tracking: Tracks the rate at which ice
sheets are melting.
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By using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), NISAR will
produce high-resolution images.