ISRO to launch NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite on July 30
According to ISRO, the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite will mark a milestone in over a decade of collaboration between the two space agencies.
Additionally, ISRO stated that the satellite would provide high-resolution, day-and-night, all-weather data by scanning the entire world every 12 days, identifying minute variations in the Earth's surface, such as vegetation dynamics, ice sheet shifts, and ground deformation.
"On July 30, 2025 at 17:40 IST, ISRO's GSLV-F16 will launch NISAR, the first joint Earth observation satellite by ISRO & NASA, from Sriharikota. NISAR will scan the entire globe every 12 days, providing high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night data. It can detect even subtle changes in Earth's surface--like ground deformation, ice sheet shifts, and vegetation dynamics," ISRO stated in a post on X.
"The mission will support many critical applications, including sea ice monitoring, ship detection, storm tracking, soil moisture changes, surface water mapping, and disaster response. A milestone in over a decade of collaboration between ISRO & NASA/JPL," it added.
According to ISRO, the NISAR satellite, weighing 2,392 kg, will be injected into a 743 km Sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98.40 degrees.
Equipped with dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar--NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band--NISAR features a 12-metre unfurlable mesh reflector antenna integrated into ISRO's modified I3K satellite bus. Utilising SweepSAR technology for the first time, the satellite will offer a 242 km swath with high spatial resolution, enabling comprehensive Earth observation.
"NISAR, weighing 2392 kg, is a unique Earth observation satellite and the first satellite to observe the Earth with a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band), both using NASA's 12m unfurlable mesh reflector antenna, integrated to ISRO's modified I3K satellite bus. NISAR will observe Earth with a swath of 242 km and high spatial resolution, using SweepSAR technology for the first time," ISRO stated in a press release.
NISAR's ability to provide high-resolution, all-weather data every 12 days will support critical applications, from tracking climate change impacts to aiding disaster management.
"The satellite will scan the entire globe and provide all weather, day & night data at 12-day interval and enable a wide range of applications. NISAR can detect even small changes in the Earth's surface, such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement and vegetation dynamics. Further applications include sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterisation, changes in soil moisture, mapping & monitoring of surface water resources and disaster response," the release added.
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Times of Oman
6 days ago
- Times of Oman
ISRO to launch NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite on July 30
New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday said that it will launch the NISAR, the first joint Earth observation satellite by ISRO and NASA, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on July 30 at 17:40 IST. According to ISRO, the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite will mark a milestone in over a decade of collaboration between the two space agencies. Additionally, ISRO stated that the satellite would provide high-resolution, day-and-night, all-weather data by scanning the entire world every 12 days, identifying minute variations in the Earth's surface, such as vegetation dynamics, ice sheet shifts, and ground deformation. "On July 30, 2025 at 17:40 IST, ISRO's GSLV-F16 will launch NISAR, the first joint Earth observation satellite by ISRO & NASA, from Sriharikota. NISAR will scan the entire globe every 12 days, providing high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night data. It can detect even subtle changes in Earth's surface--like ground deformation, ice sheet shifts, and vegetation dynamics," ISRO stated in a post on X. "The mission will support many critical applications, including sea ice monitoring, ship detection, storm tracking, soil moisture changes, surface water mapping, and disaster response. A milestone in over a decade of collaboration between ISRO & NASA/JPL," it added. According to ISRO, the NISAR satellite, weighing 2,392 kg, will be injected into a 743 km Sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98.40 degrees. Equipped with dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar--NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band--NISAR features a 12-metre unfurlable mesh reflector antenna integrated into ISRO's modified I3K satellite bus. Utilising SweepSAR technology for the first time, the satellite will offer a 242 km swath with high spatial resolution, enabling comprehensive Earth observation. "NISAR, weighing 2392 kg, is a unique Earth observation satellite and the first satellite to observe the Earth with a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (NASA's L-band and ISRO's S-band), both using NASA's 12m unfurlable mesh reflector antenna, integrated to ISRO's modified I3K satellite bus. NISAR will observe Earth with a swath of 242 km and high spatial resolution, using SweepSAR technology for the first time," ISRO stated in a press release. NISAR's ability to provide high-resolution, all-weather data every 12 days will support critical applications, from tracking climate change impacts to aiding disaster management. "The satellite will scan the entire globe and provide all weather, day & night data at 12-day interval and enable a wide range of applications. NISAR can detect even small changes in the Earth's surface, such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement and vegetation dynamics. Further applications include sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterisation, changes in soil moisture, mapping & monitoring of surface water resources and disaster response," the release added.
Times of Oman
20-07-2025
- Times of Oman
Astronomers capture dawn of new solar system for 1st time
Astronomers have spotted the earliest known signs of rocky planet formation around a young, sun-like star for the first time. The discovery offers an unprecedented glimpse into what may have happened at the dawn of our own solar system. What did the researchers see? Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's ALMA array in Chile, researchers peered into the gas disk surrounding the infant star HOPS-315, about 1,370 light-years away. The star is just 100,000 to 200,000 years old — a newborn in cosmic terms — and is thought to be on its way to becoming a yellow dwarf like our sun. "We've captured a direct glimpse of the hot region where rocky planets like Earth are born around young protostars," said lead researcher Melissa McClure of Leiden Observatory. "For the first time, we can conclusively say that the first steps of planet formation are happening right now." "Our study shows that it could be a common process during the earliest stage of planet formation," McClure said. The observations, published in the science journal Nature, show a glowing, lightning bug-like system against the dark void — a cosmic nursery where planets may one day emerge. While it's impossible to say how many planets HOPS-315 might produce, its massive gas disk could support as many as eight — just like our solar system — though that process may take a million years or more. How did the team carry out the research? Thanks to a tilt in the star's disk and a helpful gap in its outer region, the telescopes were able to detect signs of silicate minerals and silicon monoxide gas condensing. These are the very building blocks believed to have formed Earth and other rocky planets in our solar system over 4.5 billion years ago. The action is happening in a region similar to where our solar system's asteroid belt sits — between Mars and Jupiter. These early-stage solids had never been directly observed in such young systems before, leaving scientists unsure whether Earth's origin story was a rare case. What might it mean? Fred Ciesla of the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study, called it a long-awaited breakthrough. "This is one of the things we've been waiting for," he said. "There's a rich opportunity here." Astronomers hope similar discoveries will reveal how common planet formation is — and whether Earth-like worlds are a universal phenomenon or a rare cosmic fluke.
Observer
19-07-2025
- Observer
A handshake in orbit 50 years ago transformed the space race
Some 140 miles above France, American astronauts opened a spacecraft hatch and found themselves face to face with cosmonauts from the Soviet Union. 'Glad to see you,' Col. Alexei Leonov spoke in accented English to Brig. Gen. Thomas Stafford of NASA. 'Ah, hello, very glad to see you,' Stafford responded in his own accented Russian. The two men then shook hands. Today, Russian and American astronauts routinely share rides to the International Space Station, no matter the geopolitical conflict that divides their nations. But in the summer of 1975, seeing two men from rival nations greet each other in orbit across a bridge between their docked spacecraft was a powerful and unprecedented gesture witnessed by millions on the world spinning below. The handshake, which occurred 50 years ago on July 17, defined the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first international human spaceflight. That simple symbol of partnership between bitter competitors remains an enduring legacy of the mission. 'It's amazing to think that two opposed countries with different systems and cultures, essentially ready to destroy each other, can somehow cooperate and do this highly technical, complicated mission,' said Asif Siddiqi, a professor of history at Fordham University and an expert on Russian space history. A generation after the orbital handclasp, the Soviets and the United States would come together to build the ISS. The aging space outpost's days are finite, and there are no immediate plans for Russia and the U.S. to sustain their cooperation in human spaceflight. The U.S. also sees itself as competing with China for dominance in space. But experts like Siddiqi see reasons for hope on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz mission. 'Whenever people tell me that this would never happen today, I always think, Well, that's what people said in the late '60s,' Siddiqi said. 'Androgynous' Dock Early in the space age, as America raced to catch up to the Soviet Union, a partnership in space had been proposed. In September 1963, speaking before the United Nations General Assembly two months before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy floated a joint mission to the moon. 'Why, therefore, should man's first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition?' he asked. 'Surely we should explore whether the scientists and astronauts of our two countries — indeed of all the world — cannot work together in the conquest of space.' This dream was deferred, and the U.S. would overtake the Soviets in the moon race with the successful Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Oddly, the American moon landing may have created a new window for cooperation. Public support for the Apollo missions fell, and the program was cut short after the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. That left the U.S. space program without an immediate objective. In parallel, both nations' reputations were tarnished abroad, the Soviet Union by its invasion of Czechoslovakia, and America by its involvement in the Vietnam War. That created an additional motivation to jointly reassert each country's status atop the global hierarchy. 'They needed to lift themselves and cooperate to show the rest of the world: We are as super and as great as ever before. We're doing things which no country can do in a similar capacity,' said Olga Krasnyak, an associate professor of international relations at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow. This mutually recognized opportunity for prestige led to tentative talks between the country's officials in 1970. From the get-go, it was clear that the mission faced immense diplomatic, technical, and cultural obstacles. There was no smooth glide path to launch. 'How do we communicate with people who speak entirely different languages, and who think differently about engineering and problem-solving?' Brian C. Odom, NASA's chief historian, said. 'On paper, it seems easy. You launch, we launch, we come together, we shake hands, we go our separate ways. But making that happen, where you don't have five people dying in orbit, is incredibly difficult.' The sudden switch from enemies to partners, at least in this limited case, caused whiplash for the public and politicians alike (a scenario that was dramatized in the Apple TV alternative history series 'For All Mankind'). Zbigniew Brzezinski, who later served as Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, criticized the Nixon and Ford administrations for the mission, calling it a 'technological giveaway.' Soviet space officials, who had long worked in secrecy, had to overcome wariness about loosening the flow of information to an adversary. The country's diplomats had to ensure that plans could be discussed without divulging anything sensitive to national security. Both sides were suspicious of the safety of the other's flagship spacecraft. The three astronauts selected for Apollo 1 perished in a fire during a rehearsal in 1967, while the three cosmonauts of Soyuz 11 died in space in 1971 when their cabin depressurized. Snipes about the superiority of one side's spacecraft over the other rankled insiders of the mission. American astronauts were used to a much more hands-on guidance system with Apollo, whereas Soyuz was largely automatic and controlled from the ground. The vehicles even used different atmospheres in their interiors. Soyuz simulates the familiar conditions of Earth, with a nitrogen-oxygen air mixture and a pressure equivalent to our planet at sea level. Apollo, in contrast, used a pure oxygen atmosphere at a much lower pressure. This discrepancy was solved by the development of a docking module with airtight hatches at each end. Once the module connected the two craft, crew members from one vehicle could enter, ensuring that both hatches were closed while it pressurized to match conditions of the other side. When that process was complete, the hatch to the other vehicle could be opened, allowing crews to safely enter without risking 'the bends,' a condition caused by rapid depressurization. For this particular mission, the Soyuz was kept at a lower pressure than normal to ease transitions between vehicles. The docking module was also purposefully designed to be androgynous to ensure that neither spacecraft was perceived as 'female,' or passive. As the mission planners navigated these headaches, a deep and abiding friendship flourished between the astronauts and cosmonauts. The Apollo side, headed by Stafford, also included Donald 'Deke' Slayton and Vance Brand. Leonov flew on the Soyuz side with Valery Kubasov. The crews learned each other's languages, though Leonov jokingly called Stafford's drawling pronunciation 'Oklahomski.' They trained together at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and Star City, the Russian space center outside Moscow. During these meetings, the space travelers hunted, drank and partied together. They shared steam baths and got into snowball fights. The two commanders remained particularly close for the rest of their lives: Leonov helped Stafford adopt two children from Russia, and Stafford gave a eulogy in Russian (or, rather, Oklahomski) at Leonov's funeral in 2019. The crews were 'setting an example, by being friendly and demonstrating cooperation,' said Brand, the last living member of the mission, in a 2000 interview with Rebecca Wright of NASA's Johnson Space Center Oral History Project. 'We actually came to have a very close relationship with the Soviet crew,' he added. Strawberry Juice and Borscht Against all odds, the crews finally reached their launch pads during the summer of 1975. On July 15, the Soyuz crew blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, followed by the Apollo crew, which launched about seven hours later from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lead-up to docking was relatively smooth, though the Apollo crew discovered a 'super Florida mosquito' had stowed away with them, and Stafford joked that a juice spill had turned the Apollo into a 'strawberry-colored spacecraft.' The spaceships successfully docked at 12:12 p.m. Eastern time, July 17, high above the Atlantic Ocean. Hours later, the historic handshake was broadcast live to millions of viewers. The mission even inspired a cocktail called the Link Up, with equal parts Southern Comfort and vodka mixed with lime and ice, served at London's Savoy Hotel. The crew spent the next two days exchanging gifts, dining together (including borscht toasts), listening to music, and conducting experiments. The ships parted ways on July 19. After all the mutual worries about spacecraft safety, it was Apollo that ended up experiencing a serious incident, as toxic fumes filled the capsule during reentry. The brand lost consciousness, and the crew was hospitalized after splashdown. Despite this frightening conclusion of the mission, the astronauts quickly recovered and the mission was hailed as a diplomatic and technical success. 'A Little Bit Messy' A second Apollo-Soyuz mission was planned, but it never panned out. U.S.-Soviet tensions rose again during the late 1970s and into the 1980s. The countries did not directly team up again for years. However, both superpowers fostered new collaborations with their allies. During the 1980s, NASA space shuttle crews included Canadian, European, and Japanese astronauts, while the Soviet Union launched cosmonauts who came from Cuba, Poland, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and other countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Americans and Russians again joined forces in space, first aboard the Mir space station in the early 1990s. The American-Russian partnership is now the backbone of the ISS, which has remained continuously inhabited since the year 2000. That outpost is in its twilight years. Russia is discussing building its own separate successor space station, and the U.S. is seeding commercial outposts in orbit — efforts that can make Apollo-Soyuz seem like a distant memory. But Krasnyak, the Russian international relations expert, said that the legacy of this mission, and cooperative space exploration in general, remains important to Russians 50 years later. Whether the U.S. and Russia partner on future human spaceflights or not, she noted that the two powers continue to be world leaders shaping international deliberations on space. Siddiqi, the historian of Russian spaceflight, views the 1975 U.S.-Soviet mission as a forerunner for the complex international partnerships that characterize modern spaceflight, even if it's in a 'roundabout way.' 'It was a little bit messy, but the road leads back to Apollo-Soyuz,' he said. 'Other historians would see it differently, as a kind of rupture or as a one-off, but I see a lot of continuities.' Odom, NASA's chief historian, does not see Apollo-Soyuz as a direct progenitor of the ISS, or of other subsequent space collaborations. From his perspective, the mission's legacy is grounded more in the context of a time when two feuding powers extended an olive branch into orbit, with repercussions for how their citizens viewed each other back on Earth. 'The people who were involved come away from it thinking about what cooperation really might mean,' Odom said. 'If we can cooperate with the Soviet Union in this way, we can cooperate with anyone.' The direct communication and interpersonal relationships were a powerful spinoff from the mission, Odom added. 'The thing that they come away with is that 'oh, you're human beings just like us,' he said. 'You're not the monsters that we imagined or feared that you would be. You're just people trying to do a job and go about your daily life.' This article originally appeared in
