Latest news with #NISAR
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Science
- Business Standard
World's first dual-frequency radar satellite NISAR to launch from India
World's first dual-frequency radar satellite Launch: In a landmark collaboration, NASA and ISRO are gearing up to launch the NISAR satellite. It is an ambitious $1.5 billion Earth-observation mission that could redefine how we track changes on our planet. The satellite is scheduled to launch this July from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre. NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is designed to monitor Earth's surface with unprecedented centimetre-level precision, day or night, rain or shine. Equipped with a massive 12-meter radar antenna and weighing nearly three tonnes, NISAR is built to deliver near-real-time data on critical challenges like agricultural trends, climate shifts, natural disasters, and environmental changes. Its insights are expected to benefit scientists, farmers, and disaster-response teams globally, making it one of the most anticipated Earth science missions in recent memory. Why Nasa and Isro teamed up for NISAR? Most Earth-observing satellites rely on sunlight to capture surface images, limiting their use to daylight hours and clear skies. This makes them less effective in cloudy regions, like the tropics, or during nighttime events. The NASA-ISRO partnership aims to bridge this gap. With NISAR's advanced radar system, the mission will provide continuous, all-weather imaging, delivering more accurate and timely insights into environmental conditions, natural calamities, and agricultural developments. At the core of NISAR is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)—a technology originally developed for military reconnaissance in the 1950s. Unlike traditional optical sensors, SAR actively sends radar signals to the Earth's surface and captures the reflections. It functions like a camera flash in the dark, allowing it to 'see' through clouds, smoke, and dense vegetation, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions. Real-time tracking of natural disasters SAR has already shown its potential in monitoring floods, earthquakes, and landslides. NISAR will push this further by using dual-frequency radar and offering high-resolution images. It can detect even slight shifts in the Earth's crust, enabling emergency services to assess damage more quickly and respond more effectively during disasters. One of NISAR's unique strengths is its ability to penetrate thick vegetation. This allows researchers to study forest structures and wetlands in greater detail than ever before. It will help measure forest biomass and carbon content, as well as detect flooded vegetation, providing critical insights into ecosystems that store vast amounts of carbon and support biodiversity. Global impact of NISAR NISAR's high-resolution data will be freely available to researchers and institutions worldwide. It will revisit almost all land and ice surfaces every 12 days, offering more consistent and detailed observations than older missions like Sentinel-1. For the agricultural sector, this means better tracking of soil moisture, crop growth, and land-use patterns, helping farmers make smarter decisions about irrigation and resource use. NISAR's groundbreaking ability NISAR is the first satellite to carry dual-frequency radars and marks NASA and ISRO's first joint hardware venture for Earth observation. What makes it even more impactful is its open data policy, offering free access to high-resolution images and insights to scientists and agencies worldwide. With the ability to detect ground shifts of just a few millimetres, NISAR will aid in monitoring earthquakes, coastal erosion, groundwater changes, forest biomass, and dam safety, benefiting both climate research and disaster management. The satellite will also play a vital role in monitoring glacier movements and melting ice sheets, key indicators of rising sea levels. In coastal areas, NISAR can track shoreline erosion and even detect oil spills, providing valuable tools for environmental protection and emergency response. New era in Earth science NISAR took nearly ten years to develop, and now it is set to launch and add a new chapter in global earth observation. The merger of cutting-edge radar technology with global accessibility promises to equip scientists, policymakers, and communities with the data they need to better understand our planet. From climate resilience and food security to disaster preparedness, NISAR is poised to become a cornerstone of Earth science for years to come.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA-ISRO to launch $1.5 billion NISAR satellite: Why this Earth-monitoring mission is so important
In a major joint effort, NASA and ISRO are set to launch the NISAR satellite , a $1.5 billion Earth-observing mission that could transform the way we monitor our planet. The launch is scheduled for June 18, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. NISAR, short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar , will track changes on Earth's surface with centimeter-level precision—whether it's day or night, sunny or stormy. The satellite carries a huge 12-metre radar antenna and weighs nearly three tonnes. It's built to deliver real-time data on critical issues like farming patterns, climate shifts, earthquakes, landslides and floods. Scientists, farmers and emergency teams across the globe are expected to benefit from the mission's insights, making NISAR one of the most anticipated Earth science projects in recent years. Why NASA and ISRO joined hands for the NISAR mission Most existing Earth-observing satellites depend on reflected sunlight to capture surface images, meaning they can only function in daylight and clear weather. This limits their effectiveness in cloud-covered regions like the tropics or during nighttime events. The NASA-ISRO collaboration on the NISAR mission aims to overcome these gaps. Using advanced radar technology, NISAR will provide round-the-clock, all-weather imaging, enabling more accurate monitoring of natural disasters, environmental changes, and agricultural patterns regardless of time or conditions. How NISAR's radar technology makes a difference NISAR uses synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a technology first developed for military use in the 1950s. Unlike optical imaging, SAR actively sends radar signals to Earth's surface and captures their reflections. This works much like using a flash in a dark room. SAR can see through clouds, smoke, and even dense vegetation, making it ideal for 24/7 monitoring in all weather conditions. Real-time disaster monitoring and response SAR has already proven useful in tracking disasters like floods, landslides, and earthquakes. NISAR takes this a step further by offering more detailed images and dual-frequency radar. It can detect even subtle land shifts caused by disasters and help emergency teams assess damage quickly, improving response and recovery efforts. Looking inside forests and wetlands NISAR's radar can penetrate thick vegetation, allowing scientists to study the structure of forests and wetlands in new detail. It will measure how much biomass and carbon forests hold and detect flooded vegetation, giving insights into ecosystems that store vast amounts of carbon and support biodiversity. Global benefits for science and agriculture The satellite's high-resolution data will be made freely available to researchers and institutions worldwide. It will scan nearly all land and ice surfaces every 12 days, offering more frequent and sharper imaging than previous missions like Sentinel-1. For agriculture, NISAR can measure soil moisture in all conditions, helping farmers time irrigation and boost crop yields. Tracking glaciers, coastlines, and oil spills Beyond forests and farms, NISAR will monitor the movement of ice sheets and glaciers, which is vital for studying rising sea levels. It will also help track coastal erosion and oil spills at sea, offering tools for both environmental protection and disaster response. A bold leap for Earth science After more than ten years in development, the NISAR satellite is ready to offer a powerful new view of our planet. It combines cutting-edge radar with global access to help scientists, governments, and communities better understand Earth's systems and respond to its challenges. From climate change to food security and disaster resilience, NISAR is set to play a key role in the years to come. .
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
What is synthetic aperture radar?
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a way to make sharp pictures even when it's dark or cloudy. Instead of using visible light like a regular camera, SAR systems send out microwave pulses and record the echoes that bounce back from the ground, ocean, ice or buildings. Then, clever signal processing turns those echoes into detailed images. The key element is the antenna that receives the echoes. Usually, the longer a physical antenna, the better the resolution — but a large antenna is hard to build and maintain. On a SAR, a small antenna is carried on a moving platform like a satellite. As a result each echo is recorded at a slightly different position. By stitching them together with precise timing and phase information, software can help mimic a single antenna hundreds of metres long. Since microwaves penetrate clouds, smoke, and even light rainfall, SAR can collect data 24/7. If a SAR unit is mounted on an orbiting satellite, it can map swaths of land hundreds of kilometres wide in a single overpass. Different materials like soil, vegetation, water, and metals reflect microwaves differently, allowing SAR to detect changes invisible to optical sensors. On June 12, NASA said the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission had arrived at ISRO's spaceport in Sriharikota. Once it's launched, NISAR will 'scan nearly all of earth's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days', providing 'an unprecedented amount of information about our planet's environment'.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
India To Launch $1.5 Billion Joint Earth Mission With NASA In July
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are set to launch satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre this July. The $1.5 billion Earth-observing satellite, weighing nearly three tonnes, will monitor the planet's surface with unmatched precision, using advanced radar to scan land, ice, and water every 12 days. Jointly developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ISRO's Space Applications Centre, NISAR is the world's first Earth-observing satellite equipped with dual-frequency radar, L-band and S-band. Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, it will actively beam radar signals to Earth and analyse the reflections to create high-resolution images. Unlike optical satellites that depend on sunlight and clear skies, NISAR can capture data day or night, and even "see" through cloud cover, smoke, or dense vegetation. What sets NISAR apart is its commitment to open data. The high-resolution imagery and insights it collects will be made freely available to scientists, agencies, and governments across the globe. This technology makes it a powerful tool for tracking natural disasters, changes in groundwater, agricultural patterns, forest biomass, and the shifting of tectonic plates. It can even detect ground shifts as small as a few millimetres, making it vital for monitoring earthquakes, landslides, glacier melt, dam subsidence, coastal erosion, and forest biomass. It can also track soil moisture, helping farmers improve irrigation and boost crop yields. With wide-ranging uses, NISAR will aid disaster response, climate research, and sustainable farming worldwide. The NISAR mission has been under development for over a decade, with joint engineering efforts led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. NISAR is now being prepped for its July launch aboard an ISRO GSLV Mark II rocket. Before this, it went through months of integration and rigorous testing at ISRO's Bengaluru facility, where engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ISRO worked closely since March 2023.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
New massive satellite can spy more than ever before
A new colossal satellite will use radar technology to see through smoke, ash and even trees. The three-tonne, $1.5 billion NISAR satellite will be able to detect changes on Earth's surface down to the centimetre. ABC NewsRadio's Laura Tchilinguirian spoke with Dr Brad Tucker, Astrophysicist and Cosmologist at the Australian National University about exactly what it'll be able to see.
