NISAR - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

News: NASA-ISRO partnership's satellite all set to arrive in India

 

What's in the news?

       Jointly developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), an Earth-observation satellite, called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), got a send-off ceremony at the American space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California on February 3.

 

Key takeaways:

       The SUV-size satellite will be shipped to India in a special cargo container flight later this month for a possible launch in 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh.

 

NISAR:

       NISAR has been built by space agencies of the US and India under a partnership agreement signed in 2014.

       The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.

 

Launch:

       NISAR is expected to be launched in January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre into a near-polar orbit.

       The satellite will operate for a minimum of three years.

       NASA requires the L-band radar for its global science operations for at least three years.

       Meanwhile, ISRO will utilize the S-band radar for a minimum of five years.

 

NASA's Contribution:

       NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data, and a payload data subsystem.

       Antenna reflector is another important component of the satellite, made up of a gold-plated wire mesh.

       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:

       ISRO has provided the S-band radar, the GSLV launch system and spacecraft.

 

Features of the Mission:

       NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces, helping researchers better understand the causes and consequences of such phenomena.

       It will spot warning signs of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.

       The satellite will also measure groundwater levels, track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets, and monitor the planet’s forest and agricultural regions, which can improve our understanding of carbon exchange.

       ISRO will use NISAR for a variety of purposes including agricultural mapping, and monitoring of glaciers in the Himalayas, landslide-prone areas and changes in the coastline.

       By using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), NISAR will produce high-resolution images.

       SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.

       NISAR has a potential image of the entire Earth in 12 days.