Isro begins preparation to launch Nisar mission to space aboard GSLV Mk-II
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has entered the final phase of preparations for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) mission, a collaboration set to revolutionise Earth observation. Initially planned for 2024, the launch faced multiple delays due to technical challenges, including overheating risks in the satellite's 12-meter radar antenna reflector. The component was shipped back to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 2024 for a reflective coating upgrade to mitigate temperature concerns during deployment.advertisement
After rigorous retesting, the satellite was fully integrated at ISRO's Bengaluru facility by October 2024. NASA's C-130 aircraft transported critical hardware to India in a multi-leg journey, with final assembly completed by January 2025. The spacecraft has since been shipped to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, where ISRO is now conducting pre-launch checks.ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan recently indicated an upcoming 2025 launch window during a meeting with Science Minister Jitendra Singh. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark II's second stage was flagged off to Sriharikota on April 26, 2025, signalling advanced launch campaign activities.Nisar will employ dual-band radar (L-band and S-band) to scan the Earth's surface every 12 days, detecting sub-centimeter changes in landforms, ice sheets, and ecosystems. Its high-resolution data will aid disaster management, climate research, and infrastructure monitoring. 'Nisar will measure Earth's surface changes weekly, with each pixel covering half a tennis court,' said NASA JPL project scientist Paul Rosen.advertisementThe mission indicates deepening Indo-US space ties and positions ISRO as a key player in global Earth science initiatives. If successful, Nisar's datasets could transform understanding of crustal deformations, glacier dynamics, and carbon cycle fluctuations.With the GSLV now at SDSC and payload integration underway, ISRO is set to deliver one of 2025's most anticipated space missions, pending final agency clearances.
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Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
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Indian Express
an hour ago
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The mission has scheduled several experiments the results of which would help Indian Space Research Organisation execute its own manned spaceflight, Gaganyaan, two years later, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said. 2. ISRO has designed about 10 experiments for this mission. These include investigations into the effects of microgravity on muscle dysfunctions, and the physical and cognitive impacts of utilising computer screens in space. Another experiment would study the impact of spaceflight on the growth of six varieties of crop seeds. 3. ISRO is also sending a few tardigrades to the ISS. These microscopic, water-dwelling organisms, also called water bears or moss piglets, are known to survive in extremely harsh environments. They are often studied in space to gain a better understanding of how life can survive in extraterrestrial conditions. 4. These are the experiments that ISRO would have carried out on Gaganyaan if the mission had gone ahead of Axiom-4. Now it has the opportunity to conduct follow-up and more advanced experiments on its own missions. 5. Furthermore, four decades after Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space, Shubhanshu Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer who is in the final leg of his pre-launch quarantine at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, will be the second Indian to travel to space and first Indian to step on to the ISS. Shukla can pass on invaluable experience and feedback to his colleagues when they travel to space as part of Gaganyaan. 1. Announced in 2018, Gaganyaan is one of India's most ambitious space programmes. It is India's maiden human spaceflight mission that was originally scheduled for 2022 but is now expected to happen in early 2027. A successful execution of this mission would put India in the company of the US, Russia and China. 2. As stated on the ISRO website, the short-term goal is to demonstrate human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit, while the long-term goal is to lay the foundation for a 'sustained Indian human space exploration programme'. Success in its ultimate objective — proving that India is capable of indigenously developing this complex technology — would be a huge boost for ISRO. 3. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are India's astronauts-designate for Gaganyaan. 4. ISRO will use its LVM3 rocket for all of Gaganyaan missions. LVM3, earlier called GSLV-MkIII, is the Indian space agency's most powerful launch vehicle that has flown seven times without failure. The rocket consists of liquid stage, solid stage, and cryogenic stage. (1) Consider the following space missions: I. Axiom-4 II. SpaDeX III. Gaganyaan How many of the space missions given above encourage and support micro-gravity research? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) All three (d) None (2) With reference to the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), consider the following statements: 1. It is the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years. 2. The mission will carry an all-Indian crew on its journey. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 (Sources: NASA to launch Axiom Mission 4, Why a seat for Shukla on Axiom-4 is a big moment for India's space programme) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for May 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
NASA captures image of Mars' Arsia Mons volcano, nearly twice the height of Earth's tallest mountain
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