Latest news with #Nasa-IsroSyntheticApertureRadar
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: India must not shy away from trade negotiations
Hello, and welcome to the BS Views, our distilled wrap of today's Opinion page. The chasm between the 25 per cent tariffs against India and the so-called TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) sentiment is considerable but not unbridgeable. It is entirely possible that it may end up lower, if the Indian negotiating teams is able to reach a broader deal at the last minute. Our first editorial notes that, whatever the final outcome, this episode should not cause India to step back from the need for more international trade. The way to move forward would be to increase productivity and competitiveness, and not allow the view that India can never match the levels of north-east or south-east Asia. On the contrary the best way to improve competitiveness is greater trade openness and the competitive discipline that comes with it. Meanwhile, India should keep looking for broad agreements with the US, as well as other trade blocs such as the EU, instead of giving up on trade negotiations altogether. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) stands to benefit from its participation in the Artemis Accords, perhaps more than its counterpart, the US' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), notes our second editorial. The launch of the Nisar (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite is the second major mission between the two, after the Axiom 4 mission. The Accords offer a set of principles for civil exploration and use of outer space, and lets the famously-frugal Isro and the Indian aerospace sector to bid for Nasa tenders at a time when President Trump is cutting Nasa budgets. The Nisar data will also be critical to understand climate change, and India will be a major beneficiary, given Nasa and other American agencies may not be able to fully capitalise on the data because of new policy restraints. If you live in any major Indian metro, chances are you are stuck in a traffic jam every single day; hours in traffic are time away from more meaningful activities, yet we have normalised congestion without understanding its root causes, writes Sunita Narain. Much-touted solutions - more flyovers, fewer signals, wider roads - have instead exacerbated the problem. To fix this, we must look at congestion's political economy: more people are opting for two-wheelers and cars, filling up any new road space. The fundamental problem is the lack of public transport modes, their unreliability (ironically, caused by congestion), and gaps in planned last-mile connectivity. In fact, the last issue is being met largely by unregulated auto- and e-rickshaws, making congestion worse. But the key remains more, viable mass transport systems, pedestrian systems, and an integrated, well-regulated last-mile transit system. The headlines have been abuzz with words like QR code scams, digital arrest, and the like. Digital financial crimes have risen in tandem with India's digital economy, writes Ajay Shah and Nandkumar Saravade, while calling for a more rigorous approach than the current web of micro-regulations that do little other than passing the buck between the government, telecom operators, and the hapless victims. The mismatch between reported numbers and government data points to a lack of clarity, preventing the government from grasping the actual scale of the issue. To fix it, the government must first clarify the extent of losses. The second requirement is a coordinated response involving various stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, telcos, and the police. The final piece of the jigsaw is a expert group that formulates a national strategy on digital fraud with specific timelines and milestones. The rise of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian revolution that ousted the then Shah is a historical event that upended the region's politics, US foreign policy, and effectively ended then-US President Jimmy Carter's hopes for a second term. Scott Anderson's book KING OF KINGS: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation captures the miscalculation of American policy - which triggered the hostage crisis - in exceptional detail combined with superb storytelling, writes Mark Bowden. This sweeping and complex chronicle also highlights the travail of Michael Metrinko, America's political office at the US Embassy in Tehran at the time, whose dire warnings were ignored by the highest levels of the US government because they were at odds with the official, upbeat versions of what was coming.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Collaboration for future: Isro and India will benefit from Nasa
Artemis signup allows Isro and the fast-growing Indian aerospace sector to bid for Nasa tenders and the famously frugal Indian engineering sector could find opportunities there and pick up new skills Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article The successful launch of the Nisar (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre marks the second big mission where the two space agencies have joined hands, coming soon after gaganaut Shubhanshu Shukla travelled to the International Space Station on the Axiom 4 mission. This may be the precursor to more cooperation between the agencies, given that India in 2023 signed up for the Artemis Accords. The Artemis Accords provide a common set of principles for civil exploration and use of outer space. While both agencies benefit from cooperation, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) may benefit
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Business Standard
01-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India eyes 10% global space market share, greater private role: Isro chief
India is aiming to capture 8–10 per cent of the global commercial space market over the next decade, up from its current share of less than 2 per cent, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Chairman Dr V Narayanan. In an interview to news agency PTI, Narayanan said this would require significant upgrades in infrastructure, industry-led development, and manufacturing capabilities to meet growing domestic and international demand. 'In the initial phase of our activities, we were not focusing on the commercial aspect. But today, we are in the commercial field,' he said. Narayanan said Isro's OneWeb India Mission (2022) helped establish India's commercial credibility. Under the mission, Isro successfully placed 36 OneWeb satellites into their intended orbits. Growing credibility and international demand As India's space capabilities gain recognition globally, other countries are increasingly seeking Isro's services, Narayanan said. India has conducted 14 commercial launches and launched 433 satellites for 32 countries over the past 50 years, underscoring its expanding presence in the global space sector. He also highlighted India's recent launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (Nasa) NISAR (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite—its most expensive to date—using the Mark II F16 rocket. Soon, India is also expected to launch a 6,500-kg commercial satellite from the United States aboard its Mark III rocket, he said. 'Don't think India is the India of 1947. Today, we are a spacefaring, dynamic nation,' he said. 'On the 30th of last month, we launched Nasa's NISAR satellite, worth ₹10,300 crore. Nasa came to India for the launch. That shows our technological capability, advancement, and the precision with which our people work. This is what's motivating other countries to come to us.' The road ahead: Expanding private participation Narayanan emphasised the urgent need for greater private sector participation through public-private partnership (PPP) models to meet rising demand. 'When I joined Isro, there used to be one launch every three years. This year, we plan to have one every month,' he said. He noted that Isro alone cannot meet such demand. 'Over the last 10 years, our manpower has grown by less than five per cent. That's why the private sector needs to step in, in a big way.' Looking ahead, Narayanan projected that Isro may require three times the number of active satellites currently in orbit to meet both national and commercial requirements. 'So far, we have developed 132 satellites, of which 55 are currently in orbit, serving the people of this country,' he said. 'These services ensure national safety and security. Do you know how many satellites are required for that? Two years ago, our counterparts deployed 100 satellites in a single year. The demand for satellite technology is enormous.' Earlier this month, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) transferred 10 Isro-developed technologies to six Indian firms across the space value chain. The move aims to boost commercial use, encourage indigenisation, and reduce reliance on foreign technology in satellite launches, ground infrastructure, and geospatial tools.
India Today
01-08-2025
- Science
- India Today
What will Nisar look for in space? Project scientist who designed it answers
What will Nisar be looking at in space? In simple terms: nearly everything that matters for Earth's survival, from the slow grind of tectonic plates to the vanishing breath of forests, from swelling seas to invisible carbon shifts in the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite is a first-of-its-kind Earth observation mission that's ready to monitor climate change, carbon emissions, and natural disaster patterns with unprecedented $1.3 billion satellite was launched by Isro from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Thursday. In an exclusive interview, Paul Rosen, Project Scientist at Nasa, explained why Nisar is different — both in design and purpose — from anything humanity has launched before.'Nisar carries two powerful radars,' Rosen says, 'one built by Nasa and the other by Isro. This dual radar system allows us to scan vast swaths of the Earth every 12 days and build almost cinematic, three-dimensional time-lapse maps of changes happening to glaciers, forests, and coastlines.'What enables this high-resolution monitoring is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) — a technology Rosen calls "almost magical." Instead of relying on visible light like a regular camera, SAR sends microwave pulses toward Earth and collects echoes. While each pulse has low resolution on its own, the satellite processes thousands of such echoes to synthetically create the effect of a massive antenna — giving it the ability to "see" Earth's surface in detail as fine as 5 to 10 meters. India's GSLV launches with Nisar mission. (Photo: Isro) And this radar doesn't blink. 'Unlike optical satellites,' Rosen explains, 'SAR works in all weather, day or night. It's ideal for imaging forest fires, floods, or earthquakes — even when clouds or smoke obscure the ground.'The mission also has sharp scientific priorities: monitoring ice sheets, sea ice, agricultural patterns, wetland flooding, and especially above-ground carbon variability. According to Rosen, 'One of our key goals is to help carbon modellers better understand how much carbon is stored and released by forests and crops. That's crucial for fighting climate change.'Another groundbreaking application is in tracking tectonic plate movements. Using a technique called radar interferometry, Nisar can detect ground shifts as small as a few millimeters, allowing scientists to monitor stress accumulation along fault lines. 'We'll be able to map the Earth's motion before and after earthquakes and improve models for future risk,' Rosen hardware behind this mission is just as ambitious. A massive, unfolding radar reflector mounted on a boom enables the wide-angle scans, and the satellite combines S-band (built by Isro) and L-band (from Nasa) radar frequencies — a world-first for free-flying space collaboration between Nasa and Isro, Rosen says, has been one of the mission's highlights. 'Isro brings unmatched experience in turning data into real-world applications. We learned a lot from them, and they from us. It's been deeply rewarding.'With subsystems already being activated, Nisar is expected to become fully operational within weeks. Once live, it will provide scientists and governments with real-time insights into Earth's evolving systems — from the fragile crust beneath us to the living carbon engines above.- EndsMust Watch
India Today
01-08-2025
- Science
- India Today
Denied, accused, vindicated: Nisar for the world, redemption for Nambi
In a historic collaboration, India and the United States have successfully launched the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite. Valued at approximately $1.3 billion, Nisar is the costliest civilian Earth observation satellite ever developed and marks the most ambitious joint science mission undertaken by the two 2,392 kilograms, Nisar has been placed in a sun-synchronous orbit and will circle the Earth every 97 minutes. Equipped with advanced radar systems, it will scan the planet with high precision, day and night, in all weather FLIGHT OF REDEMPTIONWhat makes this launch even more remarkable is not just the satellite, but the rocket that carried it into space. Isro used its powerful Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-F16, to place Nisar into a sun-synchronous orbit. At the core of the GSLV is its cryogenic upper stage, a high-performance 100% indigenous engine that gives the rocket its final thrust into orbit. But this engine is more than a scientific is a symbol of India's resilience and the personal redemption of the man who once led its development: Nambi the very technology that was once denied to India was used to launch a satellite for the country that tried to block it. The United States, which once opposed India's efforts to acquire cryogenic engine technology, is today a customer of understand why this moment matters so deeply, one must go back to where the story began, three decades ago, when a scientist's dedication collided with geopolitics and nearly cost him NAMBI SAGABy the early 1990s, Isro was aiming to graduate from the PSLV to the GSLV system. For these more powerful rockets, Isro scientists explored three types of fuel systems. The first was earth-storable fuels, liquids that can be stored at normal temperatures, such as unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and nitrogen tetroxide. These were easier to handle but offered lower second option was semi-cryogenic engines, which use a mix of kerosene and liquid oxygen. They are more efficient but were still under development. The third, and most powerful, was cryogenic propulsion, which uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen stored at extremely low temperatures. GSLV-F16 launches with Nisar mission. (Photo:n Isro) Though technically complex, cryogenic engines offered the highest thrust and were ideal for the rocket's upper stage. Cryogenics was the clear choice, but also the hardest to engines use super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel, stored at temperatures as low as –250C. They produce extremely high thrust, making them essential for launching heavy satellites into high orbits. But the very features that make cryogenic engines powerful also make them incredibly complex. Storing and handling such super-cooled liquids requires advanced materials. Even the slightest heat leak can cause the fuel to evaporate or create pressure a fully operational engine would take years, and India's satellite programme couldn't wait. With deadlines looming, Isro began exploring international options to procure the technology. At the time, only the United States, Japan, countries in the European Union, and Russia had developed a working cryogenic came in from the United States and the European Union, but both were very expensive and came without the transfer of came Russia's 1990, it proposed a far more favourable deal: two cryogenic engines along with full transfer of technology. For Isro, it was a breakthrough. The deal was signed, and a team of eight Indian scientists was sent to Moscow to begin training and joint BLOCKS INDIAFifteen months after the deal was signed, the United States objected, claiming that the agreement violated the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), and imposed sanctions. The West feared that India could repurpose cryogenic technology to develop long-range ballistic mounting international pressure, Glavkosmos withdrew from the deal in 1993. In its place came a heavily revised agreement that allowed the delivery of seven fully assembled cryogenic engines—but with no transfer of the same time, the government sanctioned a Rs 300 crore initiative to develop an indigenous cryogenic engine. The man appointed to lead this project was Nambi had joined Isro in 1966 as a technical assistant at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station. In 1969, he was sent to Princeton University on a Government of India scholarship, where he specialised in chemical rocket propulsion. During the 1970s, when Isro relied solely on solid-fuel technology, Narayanan played a pivotal role in introducing liquid propulsion to led the development of the Vikas engine, which went on to become a crucial component in both PSLV and GSLV missions. Now leading the cryogenic engine programme, Narayanan saw it as a mission to make India self-reliant in space. But he had no idea that this mission—and his life—were about to be torn apart by a the cryogenic project picked up momentum, an unexpected storm hit. In late 1994, Nambi Narayanan and his colleague Sasi Kumaran were suddenly arrested on charges of espionage. They were accused of leaking confidential data to Pakistan through two Maldivian women, who Narayanan had never case stunned the nation. Narayanan was subjected to brutal interrogation. The cryogenic engine programme, already under strain, suffered a setback. Morale within Isro dropped, and one of its finest engineers was vilified without the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which found no evidence to support the charges. Narayanan was acquitted. Years later, on September 14, 2018, the Supreme Court acknowledged the grave injustice he had suffered. A Generative AI image of Nambi Narayanan celebrating the launch of Nisar. (Photo: India Today/Rahul Gupta) NEVER GIVING UPDespite the fallout, Isro did not give up, and neither did Nambi stop fighting the battle for early 2000s saw multiple GSLV test flights fail. Engines misfired. Rockets underperformed. Entire missions were lost. Western media often mocked India's ambitions, painting them as unrealistic and India persisted. The breakthrough came on January 5, 2014. Isro successfully launched the GSLV-D5 mission using a 100% indigenous cryogenic upper stage. It was more than a technological milestone; it was a declaration to the world. Today, that very engine—once denied, sabotaged, and born out of adversity—has placed the world's most advanced Earth observation satellite into Nambi Narayanan, this mission stands as a quiet redemption. The rocket that once slowed under the shadow of false accusations now carries international payloads into space. The man once labelled a traitor is now honoured as a pioneer of India's space self-reliance.(This is an authored article by Srijan Pal Singh. He is an author and an IIM Ahmedabad graduate, who was the Advisor for Policy and Technology to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, 11th President of India.)- EndsMust Watch
