Delhi, July 30:India and the US on Wednesday marked their maiden space collaboration. Both the nations successfully launched flight of a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket that placed an earth observation satellite, jointly developed by the two space agencies, in a precise orbit.
With it, ISRO’s GSLV F-16 injected NISAR — NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, into the intended Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO), after a flight of about 19 minutes and around 745 km.
According to the ISRO,”the GSLV “successfully injected NISAR in the designated orbit,”
The NISAR satellite will scan the Earth and provide all-weather, day-and-night data at 12-day intervals, and enable a wide range of applications.
NISAR mission’s primary objectives are to study land and ice deformation, land ecosystems, and oceanic regions in areas of common interest to the United States and Indian science communities.
The satellite combines NASA’s L-band radar, capable of penetrating vegetation and forest canopies, with ISRO’s S-band radar, better suited for monitoring soil and surface changes.This dual-frequency capability gives NISAR a unique edge in detecting a wide range of Earth phenomena with unparalleled accuracy.
It represents a rare fusion of civilian science, national security interests, and environmental stewardship all rolled into one space mission.
