India and US launch ‘first-of-its-kind’ Earth-observation satellite to monitor global changes
2025-08-02
The launch follows India’s first astronaut mission to the International Space Station and recent achievements like the lunar South Pole landing and solar observation, with plans for human spaceflight in 2027 and a space station by 2035, accelerating its space ambitions
In a major step toward enhancing Earth observation and disaster preparedness, India and the United States have successfully launched the NISAR satellite — a joint mission by ISRO and NASA — from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite, weighing 2,392 kilograms, is designed to monitor even the slightest changes in the Earth’s surface, including land shifts, coastal erosion, and glacier movement. The satellite was placed into a sun-synchronous polar orbit at 17:40 IST (12:10 GMT), allowing it to observe the same areas of the planet every 12 days.
Equipped with advanced radar technology, NISAR is the first satellite to use two distinct radar frequencies — NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band — to capture high-resolution data. It is described by NASA as “the most sophisticated radar we’ve ever built,” capable of detecting shifts as small as a few centimeters.
The satellite will take approximately 90 days to fully deploy, following which it will begin its data-gathering mission after completing system checks.
Milestone in Earth science
NASA’s Director of Earth Sciences, Karen St. Germain, highlighted the satellite’s ability to detect early signs of natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity. “NISAR will help us understand both sudden disasters and slow-moving changes like land deformation and glacier melt,” she said at a pre-launch briefing.
The $1.5 billion mission also strengthens space cooperation between India and the United States. India contributed the launch vehicle, key radar components, and ground support systems, while NASA provided the satellite’s core hardware.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan called NISAR a “life-saving satellite” and a milestone in India’s growing role in global space science. Science Minister Jitendra Singh echoed the sentiment, calling it “India’s scientific handshake with the world.”
The launch comes shortly after India marked its first astronaut mission to the International Space Station and celebrated recent successes including its lunar South Pole landing and solar observation mission. With plans for a human spaceflight in 2027 and a space station by 2035, India’s ambitions in space exploration continue to accelerate.
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