New Delhi: Marking a milestone in the US-India ties in space collaboration, the US Air Force C-17 aircraft landed in Bengaluru recently and handed over NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) to the Indian space agency. US Consulate General Chennai provided the information on Twitter.
“Touchdown in Bengaluru! @ISRO receives NISAR (@NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) on a @USAirforce C-17 from@NASAJPL in California, setting the stage for final integration of the Earth observation satellite, a true symbol of #USIndia civil space collaboration,” US Consulate General Chennai wrote in a tweet.
NISAR, the satellite, got a send-off ceremony in California on February 4. ISRO Chairman S Somanath, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Director Laurie Leshin, and dignitaries from NASA headquarters including Bhavya Lal, NASA’s associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy were present at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the send-off.
It is expected to be launched in 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh, into a near-polar orbit.
What is NISAR project?
NISAR is an Earth-observation satellite and a joint program by Indian Space Research Organisation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It was envisioned eight years ago in 2014 as a powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool that helps us study Earth’s dynamic land and ice surfaces in greater detail than ever before.
“NISAR will be the first radar of its kind in space to systematically map Earth, using two different radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimeter across. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) refers to a technique for producing fine-resolution images from a resolution-limited radar system.” reads NISAR’s official website.
NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every 6 days for a baseline 3-year mission.
NISAR’s data can help people worldwide better manage natural resources and hazards, as well as provide information for scientists to better understand the effects and pace of climate change. It will also add to our understanding of our planet’s hard outer layer, called its crust.
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