NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Launch To Be Held In 2024

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 17-11-2023

NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Launch To Be Held In 2024

Space 5 min read

NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2024. NISAR will be launched on the ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-II from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. NISAR, according to ISRO, is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory being constructed in collaboration with NASA.

About NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

NISAR is a NASA-ISRO-developed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory with a 2,800 kilograms SUV-sized satellite.
NISAR was created by US and Indian space agencies under a collaboration agreement concluded in 2014.
In January 2024, it will be launched into a near-polar orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The satellite is expected to be operating for at least three years.
The three-year mission will examine all of Earth's land and ice-covered areas every 12 days.
This will begin following a 90-day satellite commissioning period.

Features of NISAR

NISAR will be the first satellite mission to assess changes in our planet's surface using two separate radar frequencies (L-band and S-band).
NISAR is a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite since it has both L-band and S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) equipment.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) provided the S-band radar, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) launch vehicle, and the spacecraft.
NASA provided an L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder for data storage, and a payload data subsystem.
NISAR will be equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar Instrument (SAR), an L-band SAR, an S-band SAR, and an antenna reflector.

The SAR payloads installed on the Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS) and the spacecraft bus are referred to as an observatory.
It also includes a massive 39-foot permanent antenna reflector composed of gold-plated wire mesh, which will be used to concentrate the radar signals emitted and received by the instrument structure's upward-facing feed.

Mission Characteristics Of NISAR
Orbit Altitude	747 km
Orbit Inclination	98.4°
Repeat Cycle	12 days
Time of Nodal Crossing	6 AM/ 6 PM
Orbit Control	< 500 m
Pointing Control	< 273 arcsec
Pointing	Left (south)
L/S Duty Cycle	> 50%/10%
Baseline Mission Duration	3 years
Consumables	5 years
Data and Product Access	Free & open
Wavelength	L-band: 24 cm S-band: 9.3 cm
SAR Resolution	3–10 m mode-dependent

About ISRO

ISRO, or the Indian Space Research Organisation, is India's space agency that was established in 1969 to assist in the development of an indigenous Indian space programme.
ISRO is a space agency of the Government of India which aims to improve national development via the employment of space technology while simultaneously performing space scientific research and planetary exploration.
Antrix Corporation Limited (ACL) is ISRO's marketing arm, responsible for the promotion and commercialization of space goods, technical consultation services, and the transfer of ISRO-developed technology.
Founder: VikramA Sarabhai
Founded: 15 August 1969
ISRO headquarters -Bengaluru.
ISRO's current chairman- Shri S. Somanath.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an autonomous agency of the United States federal government's executive branch.
The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 established NASA.

Founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Founded: 29 July 1958, United States
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States