NISAR Satellite : Planning To Launch New Satellite
ISRO and NASA are planning to launch a new satellite called NISAR in early 2025 that will help keep track of Earth’s surface on land and ice-covered areas.
- NISAR Satellite is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory jointly developed by NASA and ISRO.
- It will be launched by using ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-II rocket.
- It consists of both L-band and S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
- NISAR will be the first satellite mission to use two different radar frequencies(L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet’s surface.
- It is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.
- NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data, and a payload data subsystem. ISRO has provided the S-band radar, the GSLV launch system, and spacecraft.
- It also consists of a large 39-foot stationary antenna reflector made of a gold-plated wire mesh which will be used to focus “the radar signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument structure.
- It will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater.
- NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes.
- The satellite will observe movements from earthquakes, ice sheet movements, landslides and volcanic activity, track changes in forests, wetlands and farmland and even check infrastructure stability.
- The NISAR mission will also benefit researchers focused on volcanic activity by helping track surface bulging or sinking caused by magma movement.
- This data will contribute to understanding volcanic behaviours and determining if such deformations hint at imminent eruptions.
