The Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, will launch the NISAR Earth Observation satellite, developed jointly with the American space agency NASA, on the 30th of this month at 1740 hours from Sriharikota. GSLV F16 heavy lift rocket will place the satellite into a 743 km Sun Synchronous orbit. The NISAR satellite will scan the entire globe every 12 days and provide high-resolution, all-weather, day and night data.
Akashvani correspondent reports that NISAR, developed jointly with NAS, will be the sharpest eye in the sky. It is the first satellite to observe the Earth with a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar. NASA’s L band and ISRO’s S band radar will use NASA’s large 12-metre unfurlable mesh reflector antenna that is integrated into ISRO’s modified satellite. The L band radar can penetrate thick forests and dense vegetation, while the S band provides crystal clear surface details. It will observe Earth using SweepSAR technology for the first time. The radars can detect subtle changes in Earth’s surface to monitor sea ice, vegetation, storm tracking, soil moisture changes, surface water mapping and disaster probabilities.
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