Latest news with #NASA-ISROSyntheticApertureRadar
India Today
3 days ago
- Science
- India Today
Tracking Earth, inch by inch
WHAT: The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, to be placed in a low earth orbit soon, will scan the Earth's surface every six days measuring minute changes down to a centimetre. With each pixel capturing an area about half the size of a tennis court, it will track how quakes, volcano eruptions and landslides occur; measure the advance or retreat of glaciers and ice sheets; and monitor the growth/loss of forests and wetlands.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ISRO and NASA's NISAR mission set to launch in June after years of preparation
After a prolonged wait, the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) has finally set the ball rolling for the final preparatory stages of one of its most highly anticipated global collaborations. The collaborative mission with the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, or NISAR, is scheduled to take off in June 2025. The ambitious Earth observation satellite will boast one of the largest and most advanced radar imaging systems ever to have been launched into space. When in operation, NISAR will offer a new window of the Earth's surface, with critical information about Earth's changing systems, natural hazards, and environmental change. NASA and ISRO coordinates to finalise NISAR mission in June As the satellite approaches completion, NASA and ISRO are coordinating to finalize the mission launch date. The launch vehicle that is the backbone of this mission, GSLV-F16, will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. One of the most significant milestones during this preparation phase is the movement of the second stage of GSLV rocket from the ISRO Propulsion Complex to the launch pad. This means that the vehicle and satellite integration is near, and the mission is now well on its way towards its final implementation phase. The SAC based in Ahmedabad, which is one of the premier organisations of ISRO working on building the S-band radar for use by NISAR, has taken a serious effort at inducting the private sector. SAC recently organized a workshop in which it invited start-ups and new-entry firms to look for commercial spin-offs out of the mission. The workshop was focused on pushing the technological advances in Earth observation technologies by leveraging the high-technology radar capability of NISAR. With this initiative, ISRO is not just bringing its scientific knowledge but also catalyzing industry collaboration in order to release maximum applications in the real world from space-borne data across agriculture and forest, urbanization, and climate sensing. NISAR's radar technology integrates ISRO and NASA expertise NISAR has been under development for almost a decade, one of India and the US's most visible cooperative space science missions. Despite the global setbacks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists in the two nations stayed on course. The mission revolves around a cutting-edge dual-frequency radar system. The L-band radar was designed by NASA with a longer wavelength, which works extremely well to penetrate vegetation, ice, and even dirt. It is therefore extremely helpful in monitoring forests, agricultural fields, and polar regions. ISRO built the S-band radar, however, which has higher resolution to monitor surface-level changes with more details. The two radar systems were phased in. ISRO's S-band radar was transported to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California in March 2021, where it was combined with the L-band system. By March 2023, the combined radar payload was shipped to the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, where the testing was finally done and the radar was integrated with the satellite platform. NISAR to offer global Earth monitoring every 12 days NISAR will monitor nearly the entire land and ice surface of the Earth every twelve days. The satellite will capture high-resolution images that will transform our knowledge of a broad variety of environmental and geological processes. These include tracking glaciers and polar ice caps, which are key indicators of climate change. The satellite will also monitor displacements in the Earth's crust and thus be an important tool to observe and study earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Apart from this, NISAR will also have a significant role in mapping vegetation cover, forest biomass, agricultural crop stages, soil moisture, and water bodies. The mission is going to be highly beneficial for nations that are threatened by climate change and natural disasters since the data is going to be made available. This open access policy can facilitate better decision-making in disaster response, environmental management, urban planning, and resources management. Originally scheduled to lift off in the early part of 2024, the mission was delayed due to the necessity for corrective actions on one of its modules stationed in the U.S. Overcoming those teething troubles, the satellite is now scheduled for a mid-2025 lift-off, and into an all-important phase of operational readiness. ISRO prepares for multiple high-profile missions in the coming months While NISAR is certainly a front-page mission, ISRO has a hectic schedule for the remainder of the year with other high-profile activities. Possibly most prominent of these is the launch of the PSLV-C61 carrying the Earth Observation Satellite EOS-09. The satellite, with a C-band synthetic aperture radar onboard, will provide high-resolution imagery of Earth's surface. Like NISAR, EOS-09 will be operational in all weather and at night, and hence will be a powerful instrument for civil as well as scientific applications. The second test flight of the Gaganyaan programme is another significant mission on ISRO's list. The mission, known as TV-D02, will flight-test the crew escape system in a simulated abort mission. This mission is for protecting the lives of future astronauts and involves a sea-based recovery mission for the crew module. The Gaganyaan project, which will take Indian astronauts to outer space, has recently cleared with a new budget of ₹20,193 crore, reiterating the seriousness of the government to position India as a serious human spaceflight player. India's lunar ambitions soar with Chandrayaan-4 and future space station plans India's ambitions reach far beyond Earth orbit. The recently approved Chandrayaan-4 mission has been greenlit with a budget of ₹2,104 crore and will bring back samples from the Moon's southern high latitudes by October 2027. It will be a landmark for ISRO, with India's maiden lunar sample-return mission and an upgrade to its status in the global scientific fraternity. Down the line, ISRO has two ambitious goals for the coming decades. The first is to build a full-fledged Indian space station, the Bhartiya Antariksh Station, by 2035. The second is even more ambitious: landing an Indian astronaut on the Moon safely by 2040. These long-term goals show India's resolve to become one of the leading space powers of the world, with autonomous scientific exploration and distant space capabilities. Also Read | NASA reveals how 60 years of climate change have transformed Earth from vibrant blue to a troubled world
News18
28-04-2025
- Science
- News18
A Decade In The Making: ISRO And NASA Finalise Preparations For NISAR Launch In June
Last Updated: The mission is likely to lift off this June, deploying one of the largest and most advanced radar systems in space to provide an unprecedented view of the Earth After a prolonged delay, ISRO has kicked off the launch campaign for its much-anticipated collaboration with US-based NASA. The mission — NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) — is likely to lift off this June, deploying one of the largest and most advanced radar systems in space to provide an unprecedented view of the Earth. With work on the landmark satellite nearly complete, the two space agencies are now reviewing potential launch dates for the mission in June. The second stage of the GSLV has been transported from the ISRO Propulsion Complex to the launch complex at Sriharikota, from where the mission, designated GSLV-F16, will take off. The Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad, which led the development of NISAR's S-band radar, has also invited private start-ups to a workshop this week. The event aims to explore potential commercial applications in Earth observation based on NISAR's advanced capabilities and to encourage innovation and development of new technical opportunities. UNPRECEDENTED VIEW OF EARTH NISAR has been nearly a decade in the making, with scientists from both India and the United States meticulously developing the mission's two scientific payloads — even through the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. While NASA developed the L-band radar for longer-wavelength imaging, ISRO and the Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad built the complementary S-band radar. The S-band radar was transported to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in March 2021, where it was integrated with the L-band system. Two years later, in March 2023, the fully integrated payload was shipped to the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru for final preparations. Both radar systems are capable of peering through cloud cover and operating day and night. Initially scheduled for an early 2024 launch, the mission was delayed after one of its components had to be sent back to the US for corrections. The dual-frequency radar will scan nearly all of Earth's land and ice-surfaces twice every 12 days to measure any changes, growth and retreat of its land, and sea-ice. According to ISRO, the mission will provide comprehensive, high-resolution data — freely available — to track parameters such as crop cover, forest biomass and disturbance, mangrove spread, soil moisture, surface water extent, glacier dynamics, wet snow cover, and even ocean surface wind speeds. The satellite will also be capable of detecting movements in the Earth's crust, including earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity. GAGANYAAN SECOND TEST VEHICLE MISSION SOON… Apart from the upcoming NISAR launch, ISRO has a packed schedule of major missions this summer. Among them is the PSLV-C61, which will carry the EOS-09 satellite. Equipped with a C-band synthetic aperture radar, the satellite will be capable of capturing high-resolution images of Earth's surface in all weather conditions, both day and night. The TV-D02, the second test vehicle mission of the Gaganyaan programme is also planned for launch. This mission will simulate an abort scenario and test the crew escape system through sea-recovery operations for the crew module for India's first-ever human spaceflight. The government recently revised the total budget for Gaganyaan to Rs 20,193 crore. Additionally, Chandrayaan-4 has been recently sanctioned with a total cost of Rs 2104 crore with the target to collect lunar samples from the southern high latitudes and return the samples to Earth for scientific study in October 2027. ISRO also has set its aim on building a Bhartiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and landing an astronaut on the Moon by 2040. First Published:
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
ISRO successfully conducts short duration hot test of semicryogenic engine
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted a short duration hot test of the semicryogenic engine at its facility in the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri. This ignition test conducted on April 24, 2025 is the second milestone after the successful first hot test on March 28, 2025, that was a major breakthrough in the testing of the semicryogenic engine test programme. In this test, the Engine Power Head Test Article, encompassing all engine systems except the thrust chamber, was subjected to a hot test for a duration of 3.5 seconds that validated the engine start-up sequence. During the test, the engine was successfully ignited and operated up to 60% of its rated power level, demonstrating stable and controlled performance. 'These tests are part of a planned series of evaluations designed to validate the design integrity and performance of critical subsystems, including the low-pressure and high-pressure turbo pumps, pre-burner and associated control systems. The results provided crucial data to finalise the operational sequencing of the full semicryogenic engine,' ISRO said. Further qualification tests are scheduled to comprehensively validate the engine system, ultimately paving the way for its induction into ISRO's launch vehicles. NISAR satellite Meanwhile, the launch campaign activities for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite onboard the GSLV-F16 has already commenced in Sriharikota, ISRO said. The Second Stage (GS2) of ISRO's GSLV launch vehicle was flagged off by V. Narayanan, Secretary, Department of Space/ Chairman, ISRO, on March 24, 2025, from the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, to the launch complex at Sriharikota. 'The Directors of ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) also participated in the flag-off ceremony. This liquid stage is earmarked for the upcoming mission of GSLV (GSLV-F16), that will launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite,' ISRO said.
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
ISRO flags off second stage of GSLV launch vehicle to Sriharikota
ISRO on Saturday announced that the second stage of it's GSLV launch vehicle was flagged off by Chairman V Narayanan recently from the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, to the launch complex at Sriharikota. The Directors of ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) also participated in the flag off ceremony which was held on March 24, it said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2 Simple Profitable Strategies That Can Make You 5K Per Day thefutureuniversity Learn More "This liquid stage is earmarked for the upcoming mission of GSLV (GSLV-F16), that will launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. The launch campaign activities for this mission have already commenced at Sriharikota in the first week of April 2025," ISRO said, in a statement.
