India-US joint space mission: Advanced ‘NISAR’ Satellite launched

India and the United States have successfully launched NISAR, a next-generation Earth observation satellite, as part of a joint space mission.

The satellite was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in southern India. NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) can detect minute changes on the Earth’s surface — land, oceans, and ice — with centimeter-level precision.

It is the first satellite to simultaneously use two radar frequencies: NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band. NISAR will revisit the same location every 12 days to monitor changes. The satellite will become fully operational within 90 days, following system checks and calibrations.

The project cost is estimated at $1.5 billion, with India contributing parts of the satellite, the rocket, and launch infrastructure.

NASA says NISAR will play a crucial role in tracking climate change, natural disasters, and environmental shifts with unprecedented accuracy.