MoS Defence lauds DRDL scientists for advanced missile system
During his visit to DRDL, Seth inspected key facilities involved in the development of Astra Mk I and II air-to-air missiles, the Vertically-Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM), and scramjet engine technologies. He was briefed on the progress and strategic relevance of these systems by U Raja Babu, Distinguished Scientist and Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems), and G A Srinivasa Murthy, Director, DRDL.
At RCI, the minister reviewed advanced Indigenous Navigation and Aviation Systems, the Onboard Computer Division, and Imaging Infrared Seeker technologies. Director RCI, Anindya Biswas, provided updates on these high-tech defence capabilities.
He praised the scientists and engineers for their contributions towards achieving self-reliance in defence under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He encouraged DRDO to continue advancing technologies that enhance national security and empower the Armed Forces.
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India Today
12 hours ago
- India Today
Nisar: The billion-dollar radar that can see through clouds and darkness
When Nisar, a.k.a the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar, takes flight aboard India's GSLV Mk-II rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on July 30, 2025, it won't just be another Earth observation satellite in orbit, it will be a technological marvel, the likes of which the world has never seen satellite will be placed in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, 747 km above Earth, completing 14 orbits every just 97 minutes, Nisar will circle the planet once, and in 12 days, it will have mapped nearly every inch of Earth's landmass and ice sheets. For scientists, climate researchers, and disaster managers, this is a dream come true. The mission's open-source data will be freely available to researchers. (Photo: Isro) WHAT MAKES NISAR A GAME-CHANGER? At its heart, Nisar carries a world-first technology – a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Most radar imaging satellites work with a single frequency, but Nisar carries two powerful radar systems: L-band radar (24 cm wavelength) built by Nasa and S-band radar (12 cm wavelength) developed by unique combination allows Nisar to 'see' through clouds, thick forest canopies, smoke, and even in complete importantly, it can detect tiny changes in the Earth's surface, as small as a few millimeters. That means scientists can track how much a glacier has shifted, how much a fault line has moved after an earthquake, or even how much a city is sinking due to groundwater depletion. Nisar is set to become something more – a guardian that can sense Earth's heartbeat. (Photo: Nasa) Nisar achieves this precision through a special technique called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Think of it like taking two radar 'photos' of the same place a few days apart and comparing them to spot tiny sends out invisible radar waves to Earth's surface and listens for the waves that bounce back. By carefully analysing the timing (or 'phase') of these returning waves, InSAR can detect changes as small as a centimeter, like the ground shifting slightly after an earthquake or a glacier moving over creates detailed maps showing how Earth's surface is changing, helping scientists predict disasters or monitor climate shifts with incredible accuracy, no matter the weather or time of this data is made possible thanks to its massive 12-meter gold-plated deployable mesh antenna – the largest radar imaging antenna ever launched into space. For comparison, it's almost as wide as a badminton court when fully unfolded. WHY THE WORLD NEEDS NISAREarth's rapid changes are outpacing the capabilities of traditional satellites, which often lack the precision needed to capture critical details. Nisar bridges this gap with its high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging, delivering a near real-time view of our planet's dynamic will revolutionise our understanding by:advertisementTracking climate change: Observing polar ice loss, glacier shifts, and permafrost thawing with unprecedented management: Identifying subtle signs of land subsidence, landslide risks, and fault-line movements to predict earthquakes & water security: Forecasting crop yields, monitoring soil moisture, and mapping groundwater depletion to ensure resource & ecosystems: Measuring deforestation, forest biomass, and the carbon storage potential of vegetation to support conservation simple terms, Nisar will give us a near-real-time 'health check-up' of the Earth every few days. It has the largest radar imaging antenna ever launched into space. (Photo: Nasa) A BILLION-DOLLAR PARTNERSHIPNisar is one of the most expensive Earth observation missions ever undertaken, with a total cost estimated at $1.5 billion (Rs 12,500 crore).Nasa's contribution, covering the L-band radar, radar electronics, GPS receivers, and engineering support, is approximately $1.2 billion (Rs 10,000 crore).Isro's contribution, which includes the S-band radar, satellite bus, launch vehicle, and ground systems, is around Rs 788 crore (approximately $93 million).Despite the significant investment, the mission's open-source data will be freely available to researchers and governments worldwide, offering immense value for global scientific and climate research efforts. THE ROAD AHEADFor decades, satellites have been our eyes in the sky, but Nisar is set to become something more – a guardian that can sense Earth's tracking movements invisible to the naked eye, it promises to help humanity understand natural hazards, prepare for disasters, and fight climate it finally unfurls its giant golden antenna in orbit, Nisar will mark not just a triumph of space technology but also a symbol of international cooperation for the planet's future.(This is an authored article by Manish Purohit. Manish is a solar energy and spacecraft solar panel expert with extensive experience in managing critical space missions, including Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan)- EndsMust Watch
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First Post
13 hours ago
- First Post
History Today: When we lost APJ Abdul Kalam, the 'Missile Man of India'
On July 27, 2015, India lost a visionary and leader in APJ Abdul Kalam, the 'Missile Man,'who collapsed while delivering a lecture at IIM Shillong. He passed away at 83; a moment that united an entire nation in grief and gratitude for his scientific legacy and inspirational life read more Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam arrives to caste his ballot at a polling station in New Delhi, May 10, 2004. File Image/Reuters As part of Firstpost's History Today series, July 27 has witnessed pivotal moments — from the passing of India's beloved 'Missile Man' APJ Abdul Kalam in 2015, to acts of terror and peacemaking on the world stage, and deep racial conflict in America. APJ Abdul Kalam passes away On July 27, 2015, India lost one of its most beloved and respected figures — Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India and a pioneering aerospace scientist. Kalam collapsed while delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong. He was 83. His sudden demise marked the end of an era that transcended science, education, public service and spiritual thought. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Born on October 15, 1931, in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Kalam came from modest beginnings. His father was a boat owner and imam of a local mosque, and young Kalam helped supplement the family income by selling newspapers. Despite financial constraints, he showed an early curiosity for learning and was especially drawn to mathematics and physics. After completing his schooling in Ramanathapuram, Kalam went on to study physics at St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, and then aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology. He narrowly missed becoming a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force — he was ranked 9th while only 8 slots were available — but fate had bigger plans for him. Kalam joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 1958 and then the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in 1969. At ISRO, he was project director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III), which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in 1980 — a defining moment in India's space history. His contributions became even more prominent when he rejoined DRDO and spearheaded India's missile development programme under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). This earned him the moniker 'Missile Man of India.' Notable missiles like Agni and Prithvi were developed under his leadership. Kalam played a pivotal role in India's 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran-II. As the chief scientific adviser to the Prime Minister and the head of the DRDO at the time, he was instrumental in the coordination and execution of the tests. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD From left to right, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Defence Minister George Fernandes, India's 'missile man' APJ Abdul Kalam and Atomic Energy chief R Chidambaram display the victory symbol during a visit to the Shakti 1 test site, where India tested nuclear device in Pokhran. File Image/AP The successful detonation marked India as a nuclear weapons state and significantly altered its global strategic posture. The Pokhran-II tests also cemented Kalam's status as a national hero. His ability to bridge scientific innovation with national policy was rare and essential at a time when India sought to assert itself globally. In 2002, Abdul Kalam was elected the 11th President of India with support across party lines. He was the first scientist and the first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan. During his tenure, Kalam brought a refreshing change to the ceremonial office, converting it into an active platform for outreach and youth engagement. He earned the sobriquet 'People's President' due to his simplicity, accessibility and dedication to citizens — especially students. Kalam made it a priority to meet with young people, listen to their aspirations, and encourage innovation and education. An Indian army officer (L) points towards the Line of Control (LoC) as Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam (2nd-L), Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Syed and V G. Patankar, chief of Indian army in Kashmir, look during their visit to the LoC in the Uri sector, 102 kms (63 miles) west of Srinagar, June 28, 2003. File Image/Reuters After his presidency, Kalam did not retire from public life. He became a visiting professor at multiple institutions including IIM Shillong, IIM Ahmedabad, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also authored several influential books such as Wings of Fire, India 2020, Ignited Minds, and My Journey — many of which became bestsellers and were translated into numerous languages. Kalam was a strong advocate for India's development through knowledge, science, and technological self-reliance. His vision of India as a developed nation by 2020, although not fully realised, continues to inspire developmental discourse. On July 27, 2015, while delivering a lecture titled 'Creating a Liveable Planet Earth' at IIM Shillong, Kalam collapsed at around 6:30 pm. He was rushed to Bethany Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from a sudden cardiac arrest. News of his death triggered an outpouring of grief across India and abroad. The Government of India declared a seven-day state mourning. His body was flown to his hometown of Rameswaram, where he was laid to rest with full state honours. Over 350,000 people attended his funeral, including political leaders, scientists and common citizens. Kalam's impact on India — and indeed, the world — transcended his technical achievements. He symbolised the power of education, the importance of hard work, and the potential of a visionary mind. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Among his numerous accolades are the Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honour), the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan. He received honorary doctorates from more than 40 universities worldwide. His birthday, October 15, is now observed as World Students' Day in many institutions, and India's DRDO has named its missile complex in Hyderabad the 'Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex.' His house in Rameswaram was converted into the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam National Memorial by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and inaugurated in 2017. Globally, he was remembered as a symbol of peace and development. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is felicitated by former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam during celebration of his 74th birthday in New Delhi, July 6, 2009. File Image/Reuters Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called him a 'great statesman and visionary,' while Nasa scientists lauded his commitment to science diplomacy. His quotes like — 'Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action' — are widely circulated in classrooms and textbooks. In an age of growing cynicism and division, Kalam remains a rare unifying figure. He was admired across the ideological spectrum — by conservatives, liberals, nationalists, and progressives alike. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kalam once said, 'If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.' Olympic terror: Centennial Park bombing On July 27, 1996, a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during a free concert, killing 44-year-old Alice Hawthorne, causing the death of Turkish cameraman Melih Uzunyol (via heart attack), and injuring 111 others. Investigators inspecting the scene at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, where a pipe bomb exploded on July 27, 1996, disrupting the Summer Olympic Games. File Image/AP The bomber — Eric Robert Rudolph, a white supremacist extremist — later admitted responsibility, linking the act to opposition against abortion and globalism. He was captured in 2003 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005. Security guard Richard Jewell was initially hailed a hero, then wrongfully accused — a saga prompting FBI reforms and legal action by Jewell. The event shifted Olympic security, highlighting vulnerabilities in mass gatherings and civilian safety protocols. Armistice ends Korean War After nearly three years of intense conflict beginning June 25, 1950, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953. US, North Korean, and Chinese forces convened, reaching a ceasefire effective at 10:00 am (signing) and formal cessation by 10:00 pm that night. UN delegate Lieut. Gen. William K. Harrison, Jr. (seated left), and Korean People's Army and Chinese People's Volunteers delegate Gen. Nam Il (seated right) signing the Korean War armistice agreement at P'anmunjŏm, Korea, July 27, 1953. Image/US Department of Defense The accord established the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) near the 38th parallel and highlighted prisoner repatriation via a Neutral Nations Commission. Although the armistice halted active conflict, no formal peace treaty was signed — leaving North and South Korea technically at war. The DMZ has remained one of the world's most fortified and enduring cold war legacies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Chicago race riot of 1919 ignites On July 27, 1919, racial tensions in Chicago erupted when 17-year-old Eugene Williams, an African-American, was struck and drowned after crossing an informal race line on Lake Michigan's South Side beach. White beach-goers had stoned him, triggering outrage. Over the following week, violence rocked Chicago — the dead included 38 (23 Black, 15 white), and more than 537 were injured. Image Credit: Chicago History Museum Property damage exceeded 1,000 homes, and Black residents retaliated following a lack of police protection. It became one of the bloodiest episodes of the Red Summer of 1919, illustrating systemic racism, segregation and the upheaval driven by the Great Migration — urban Black veterans resisting entrenched oppression. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
What makes the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite so special?
The story so far: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch the NISAR satellite from Sriharikota on July 30 onboard a GSLV Mk-II rocket. 'NISAR' stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar and is a joint mission of the two space agencies. It is a sophisticated earth-observation satellite designed to study changes on the earth's surface in fine detail, covering earthquakes, volcanoes, ecosystems, ice sheets, farmland, floods, and landslides. What's the need for NISAR? NISAR is the first major earth-observing mission with a dual-band radar, which will allow it to observe changes more precisely than any other satellite. It will be able to see through clouds, smoke, and even thick vegetation, both at day and night, in all weather conditions. The three-tonne machine has been a decade in the making and costs more than $1.5 billion, also making it one of the most expensive earth-observing satellites to date. The earth's surface is constantly changing. Natural disasters, human-driven changes, and climate shifts all affect environments and human societies. Satellites provide critical information by taking snapshots of these changes from space, helping scientists, governments, and relief agencies prepare for, respond to or study them. To this end, NASA and ISRO have created a powerful global mission that also allows ISRO guaranteed access to a stream of high‑resolution data tailored to India's needs. NISAR's science and application goals span six areas: solid earth processes, ecosystems, ice dynamics, coastal and ocean processes, disaster response, and additional applications (including tracking groundwater, oil reservoirs, and infrastructure like levees, dams, and roads for subsidence or deformation and supporting food security research). The planned mission lifetime is three years although its design lifetime is at least five years. Notably, the mission's data policy entails that the data NISAR produces will be freely available to all users (typically) within a few hours. How does NISAR work? Once it is launched, NISAR will enter into a sun-synchronous polar orbit at 747 km altitude and an inclination of 98.4°. From here, instead of snapping pictures, NISAR's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) will bounce radar waves off the planet's surface and measure how long the signal takes to come back and how its phase changes. The ability of a radar antenna to resolve smaller details increases with its length, called its aperture. In orbit, deploying an antenna hundreds of metres long is impractical. SAR gets around this by mimicking a giant antenna. As the spacecraft moves forward, it transmits a train of radar pulses and records the echoes. Later, a computer coherently combines all those echoes as if they had been captured simultaneously by one very long antenna, hence the 'synthetic aperture'. NISAR will combine an L-band SAR (1.257 GHz), which uses longer-wavelength radiowaves to track changes under thick forests and soil and deformations on the ground, and an S-band SAR (3.2 GHz), which uses shorter-wavelength radiowaves to capture surface details, such as crops and water surfaces. Although NISAR will operate globally at L‑band, ISRO has reserved routine, planned acquisitions with the S‑band SAR over India. The latter acquisitions have extended sensitivity to biomass, better soil‑moisture retrieval, and mitigate ionospheric noise — all capabilities tuned to India's needs in agriculture, forestry, and disaster management. Because the L‑band radar is the principal tool for NASA's mission goals, the instrument is expected to operate in up to 70% of every orbit. This said, operating both radars together is an official implementation goal so that mode conflicts over the Indian subcontinent are minimised. Polarisation is the direction in which the electric field of some electromagnetic radiation, like radiowaves, oscillates. SAR can transmit and receive radar signals with horizontal or vertical polarisation. Using different combinations will allow the instruments to identify the structure and types of different surface materials, like soil, snow, crop or wood. The swath width, i.e. the breadth of the bands on the ground the SARs will scan, is an ultra-wide 240 km. The radars' SweepSAR design will transmit this beam and, upon its return, digitally steer multiple small sub‑apertures in sequence, synthesising beams that sweep across the ground track. This scan‑on‑receive method allows the 240‑km swath without compromising resolution. The resulting scans will have a spatial resolution of 3-10 m and centrimetre-scale vertical mapping — enough to spot impending land subsidence in cities, for example — depending on the mode. Each spot on the ground will be scanned once every 12 satellite also features a large 12-m-wide mesh antenna. NISAR will produce annual maps of aboveground woody biomass of 1 ha resolution and quarterly maps of active and inactive cropland. High-resolution maps of flooded versus dry areas will be available as well. During a disaster, NISAR can also be directed to collect data for 'damage proxy maps' to be delivered in under five hours. This said, for certain acquisition modes, NISAR won't be able to achieve full global coverage at the highest resolution. Above roughly 60° latitude, every alternative observation will be skipped due to converging ground tracks. Similarly, some 10% of the surface may not be mapped from either direction (of the satellite's passage over the ground) in any given 12-day cycle. How was NISAR built? At the time the two space organisations agreed to build NISAR, NASA and ISRO decided each body would contribute equivalent‑scale hardware, expertise, and funding. ISRO's contributions in particular are mission‑critical. The organisation supplied the I‑3K spacecraft bus, the platform that houses the controls to handle command and data, propulsion, and attitude, plus 4 kW of solar power. The same package also included the entire S‑band radar electronics, a high‑rate Ka‑band telecom subsystem, and a gimballed high‑gain antenna. The S‑band electronics were designed and built at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. NASA's biggest contribution was the complete L‑band SAR system. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory supplied all radio‑frequency electronics, the 12‑m antenna, a 9-m carbon-composite boom, and the instrument structure that carries both radars. The agency also fabricated the L‑band feed aperture and provided the supporting avionics, including a high‑capacity solid‑state recorder, a GPS receiver, an autonomous payload data system, and a Ka‑band payload communications subsystem. The spacecraft was to be integrated at the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru after the two radars were mated at JPL. The final observatory‑level tests will therefore have taken place on Indian soil. After that the mission will lift off from Sriharikota onboard a GSLV Mk-II launch vehicle, with ISRO providing end‑to‑end launch services and documentation. While themission operations are to be centred at the JPL Mission Operations Center, day‑to‑day flight operations will be led from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bengaluru. Once NISAR is in orbit, most of its data will be sent through NASA's Near Earth Network facilities in Alaska, Svalbard (Norway), and Punta Arenas (Chile), which can together receive around 3 TB of radar data per day. They will be complemented by ISRO's ground stations in Shadnagar and Antarctica. After the raw data arrive, India's National Remote Sensing Centre will process and distribute all products required for Indian users, mirroring NASA's pipeline.
