Countdown begins for NISAR satellite launch
About 19 minutes after lift-off, the GSLV-F16 rocket will inject the NISAR satellite into a 743-km sun-synchronous orbit. The NISAR satellite – NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite – will scan the Earth and provide all-weather, day-and-night data at 12-day intervals, and enable a wide range of applications.
It is the first joint satellite of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Senior NASA officials said that working with the ISRO on the mission has strengthened their relationship.
The Director of Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, Karen St. Germain said, 'Building a satellite on opposite sides of the world during a global pandemic was really hard, but it strengthened our relationship with ISRO. The collaboration, the cooperation, information sharing, and, frankly, joint learning between our two agencies is a foundation that we look forward to continuing to build upon.'
She added that NISAR is a model for the next generation of Earth observation capability.
'India built the spacecraft bus and the S-band radar and is providing the launch vehicle, launch services, and satellite mission operations. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) built the L-band radar and the mission's radar reflector and boom. NASA is also providing a high-rated communications subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and the payload data subsystem,' she added.
Phil Barela, NISAR project manager, JPL, said that the two space agencies learnt a lot from each other in the last decade.
'We have been at this for over a decade with our partner, ISRO, and it has been a phenomenal journey. The amount that we have learned from each other during this period has just been phenomenal,' Mr. Barela said.
He added that during the height of COVID-19 pandemic, around 65 ISRO engineers visited JPL to work on the integration and conduct tests.
'Over the last two-and-a-half years, NASA has sent out over 175 engineers to ISRO's facilities to keep the integration and tests going and get us ready for where we stand today and ready for launch. It has been a wonderful journey. I'm anticipating a lot of very happy people, not only in the U.S., but also in India,' he added.
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News18
an hour ago
- News18
NASA-ISRO collaborative satellite NISAR all set for launch
Agency: Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Jul 30 (PTI) Aimed at boosting ties between India and the United States on space exploration, India is geared up to launch an earth observation satellite jointly developed by ISRO and NASA on Wednesday. Eyeing to study the planet Earth as a whole from a Sun-synchronous Orbit, the NISAR satellite is a combination of human skills and exchange of software and hardware between the two space agencies for over a decade. NISAR, an acronym for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, weighing 2,393 kg is expected to fly on a 51.7 metre tall, three stage, GSLV-F16 rocket at a prefixed time of 5.40 pm from the second launch pad at this spaceport situated about 135 km from Chennai on Wednesday. The countdown for the launch commenced at 2.10 pm on July 29 and has been progressing, ISRO said, and the mission would be classified into launch phase, deployment phase, commissioning phase and science phase. 'GSLV-F16/NISAR Today's the day! Launch Day has arrived for GSLV-F16 and NISAR. GSLV-F16 is standing tall on the launch pad. NISAR is ready. Liftoff today," ISRO said in a social media post on Wednesday. While the partnership between ISRO and NASA is first of its kind, it is also the first time for a GSLV rocket to carry a rocket destined to Sun-synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO) unlike Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles. The satellite would be able to study seasonal changes on forest dynamics, mountain shifts, glacier movements in the Himalayas and Antarctica, North and South poles. 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. ISRO said the complex payloads and mainframe systems in the mission have been designed, developed, and realised over a period of 8 to 10 years. Scientists from both space agencies were involved in extensive collaborations and the NISAR satellite carries dual frequency — two L Band provided by NASA and S-Band provided by ISRO for the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) enabling the collection of a vast amount of data. The S-Band SAR and L-Band SAR were independently developed, integrated and tested at ISRO and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, United States, respectively, ISRO said. After reaching the initial orbital conditions on Wednesday, scientists would engage in 'commissioning' the satellite. The first 90 days after launch would be dedicated to commissioning or to perform In-Orbit Checkout, the objective of which is to prepare the observatory for science operations, ISRO said. The dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar employs an advanced, SweepSAR technique, which provides high resolution and large swath imagery. NISAR would image the global land and ice-covered surfaces, including islands, sea-ice and oceans, every 12 days. The spacecraft and the launch system are developed by ISRO while the L-band Radar system, high speed downlink system, GPS receiver are delivered by NASA. ISRO is responsible for the satellite and commanding operations, while NASA would provide the orbit manoeuver and RADAR operations plan. NISAR mission would be aided with ground station support of both the two space agencies for downloading the acquired images, which, after the necessary processing, would be disseminated to the user community. GSLV-F16 is the 18th flight of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and the 12th with indigenous cryogenic stage. It is also the 102nd launch from Sriharikota. The life of the NISAR Mission is 5 years, ISRO said. PTI VIJ KH (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 09:00 IST News agency-feeds NASA-ISRO collaborative satellite NISAR all set for launch Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
NISAR Satellite Embodies 'Strength Respects Strength': ISRO Chief To NDTV
In a historic collaboration, India and the United States are poised to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite (NISAR)-the most expensive civilian Earth observation satellite ever built. With a staggering budget of $1.3 billion, NISAR is a technological marvel designed to monitor earthquakes, glacial movements, carbon sequestration, and climate change-induced disasters such as glacial lake outbursts. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Dr V Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), expressed immense pride in the mission, calling it a "life-saving satellite" and a symbol of India's rising leadership in space. "This is going to be yet another great day for India," he said. "There's a saying-strength only respects strength." ISRO says GSLV-F16 is the 18th flight of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 12th flight with the Indigenous Cryogenic stage. 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Development took place at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and ISRO's URSC Satellite Centre in Bengaluru and Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. The satellite will be launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh using India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 2 (GSLV Mk II), a rocket that once earned the nickname "naughty boy" due to its early reliability issues. Dr Narayanan, who assumed the role of ISRO Chairman on January 13 this year, made a bold decision to use the GSLV Mk II for his first launch, despite having the option to delay and use the more proven PSLV. "I had no iota of doubt," he said. "The GSLV Mark 2, once called the naughty boy, is now a sincere, obedient boy. It lifted off gigantically and yielded the required result." That successful flight on January 29 marked ISRO's 100th launch and reaffirmed the rocket's reliability. As a rocket technologist who led the development of India's cryogenic engine, Dr Narayanan emphasised the rigorous testing and systematic effort that went into preparing the vehicle for NISAR. "Every aspect is thoroughly addressed. We don't change decisions arbitrarily. The GSLV F-16 vehicle, in my opinion, is 100 per cent reliable." The NISAR mission also showcases India's frugal yet effective approach to space technology. While NASA's contribution is estimated at nearly $1.2 billion, India's share-including a major payload, the satellite bus, the rocket, and the launch pad-is reportedly under $100 million. Dr Narayanan attributed this cost-efficiency to India's culture of innovation and resourcefulness. "It's the working culture, the testing requirements, and the nature of experiments that determine cost," he explained. "Whenever we write a test plan, we think about what's happening in India's [poorest] villages. Can we do a digital simulation to bring down the cost? Recall, with just three engines, we successfully flew the indigenous cryogenic stage. No other country does that." Beyond its technological prowess, NISAR is a diplomatic milestone. Dr Narayanan recalled his joy when Prime Minister Narendra Modi proudly announced the joint development of NISAR by ISRO and JPL during a press conference in the United States. "When the Honourable Prime Minister said that India and JPL USA have built the NISAR satellite-what type of happiness, what else is required? That's the type of feeling I had." India's space journey has come full circle-from launching Aryabhata with Russian support to now co-developing and launching a billion-dollar satellite with the United States. Today, India has over 50 satellites in orbit and is recognised as a global space leader. The NISAR satellite is expected to deliver critical data for disaster preparedness, environmental monitoring, and scientific research. It will help scientists track changes in Earth's surface with millimetre-level precision, offering insights into tectonic shifts, ice sheet dynamics, and carbon storage. "Naturally, I'm excited," Dr Narayanan said. "With another giant, we have built a satellite together. Our rocket is going to place the satellite. As Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space-and more than that, as a technologist-I am so excited to see that successful mission." As India prepares to launch NISAR from Sriharikota, the mission stands as a testament to the power of international collaboration, scientific ambition, and the transformative potential of space technology. It is a moment of pride not just for ISRO and NASA, but for every citizen of India and America.
Mint
an hour ago
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NASA-ISRO mission: ‘NISAR is ready. Liftoff today,' check latest pic, time, launch details here
NASA-ISRO mission: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the most awaited mission today, July 30. The liftoff is scheduled for 5:40 PM from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The GSLV-F16 rocket is prepared for liftoff, the latest image released by the space agency shows. Ahead of NISAR launch, ISRO stated, 'GSLV-F16/NISAR | Launch Day has arrived for GSLV-F16 & NISAR. GSLV-F16 is standing tall on the pad. NISAR is ready. Liftoff today at 17:40 hours IST from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.'
