US and India launch historic joint mission that could change the way we see Earth
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WATCH: ISRO’s GSLV Rocket Rolls Out To Launch Pad For NISAR Mission On July 30
ISRO shared a video of the GSLV-F16 rocket being rolled out to the launch pad for the much-awaited NISAR satellite launch. The rocket is scheduled to liftoff on July 30 at 5:40 pm IST from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota with the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. The launch has been delayed multiple times since its targeted timeline of 2024. Last year, engineers discovered fault in the radar reflector antenna which had to be shipped from India back to the US, postponing the mission to mid-2025. It will be injected into a 743 km Sun-synchronous orbit which will enable it to observe the entire globe.
ISRO, on Thursday, shared a video of the GSLV-F16 rocket being rolled out to the launch pad for the much-awaited NISAR satellite launch. The rocket is scheduled to liftoff on July 30 at 5:40 pm IST from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota with the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite that is designed to scan the entire Earth every 12 days.
GSLV-F16 – Post Integration, reaching Its Last Pre-Launch Position.
Watch 🎥 this Movement of GSLV-F16 from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the Umbilical Tower (UT).
We are getting closer to liftoff with each step! #NISAR #GSLVF16 #ISRO #NASA #SpaceForEarth pic.twitter.com/upfEaXF4Ak — ISRO (@isro) July 24, 2025
The video shared by ISRO shows the GSLV rocket being transported from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Umbilical Tower, marking a major step toward the launch.
The NISAR satellite. Image: ISRO
NISAR is the result of a decade-long collaboration between NASA and ISRO. The launch has been delayed multiple times since its targeted timeline of 2024. Last year, engineers discovered fault in the radar reflector antenna which had to be shipped from India back to the US, postponing the mission to mid-2025.
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More about the NISAR satellite
🌍 Historic Launch Ahead: ISRO Set to Launch NISAR, a joint satellite with NASA !
🚀 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… pic.twitter.com/4Mry076XSZ — ISRO (@isro) July 21, 2025
The 2,392-kg NISAR spacecraft and is an Earth observation satellite that, according to ISRO, will help scientists better understand processes involved in natural hazards and catastrophic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, land subsidence and landslides.
It will be injected into a 743 km Sun-synchronous orbit which will enable it to observe the entire globe and provide all weather, day and night data at 12-day intervals.
“NISAR can detect even small changes in the Earth’s surface such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement and vegetation dynamics,” ISRO said in a statement. “Further applications include sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterisation, changes in soil moisture, mapping and monitoring of surface water resources and disaster response.”
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(Image: ISRO)
Nisar: Isro and Nasa set for launch of ‘first-of-its-kind’ satellite
Nasa and Isro say Nisar will revisit the same spot every 12 days. It will detect changes and land, ice, or coastal shifts as small as centimetres. The satellite will be shot into the “sun-synchronous polar orbit” It will pass over the same areas of Earth at a regular interval, observing and mapping changes to our planet’s surface.
The “first-of-its-kind satellite” will be the first in space to watch Earth using two different radar frequencies – Nasa’s L-band and Isro’s S-band.
The satellite will be shot into the “sun-synchronous polar orbit”, which means it will pass over the same areas of Earth at a regular interval, observing and mapping changes to our planet’s surface, former Nasa scientist Mila Mitra told the BBC.
Nasa and Isro say Nisar will revisit the same spot every 12 days. It will detect changes and land, ice, or coastal shifts as small as centimetres, says Ms Mitra.
Repeated scans will generate rich data, helping Nasa and Isro ground stations support disaster preparedness and track climate change impacts, she added.
Scientists say Earth’s surface is constantly changing due to natural and human activities, and even small shifts can impact the planet.
“Some of these changes happen slowly, some abruptly, some are small while some are subtle,” Nasa’s director of Earth Sciences Karen St Germain, who is in India for the launch, told a pre-launch press conference.
“With Nisar, we’ll see the precursors to natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes; we’ll see land subsidence and swelling, movements and deformations, melting of glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica; and we’ll see forest fires.
“We’ll also be able to spot human-induced land changes caused by farming and infrastructure projects such as buildings and bridges,” she said.
WATCH: US and India launch Earth-mapping satellite
The $1.3 billion mission will help forecasters and first responders stay one step ahead of floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and other disasters. Rocketing to orbit from India, the satellite will survey virtually all of Earth’s terrain multiple times. Its two radars — one from the U.S. and the other from India — will operate day and night, peering through clouds, rain and foliage to collect troves of data in extraordinary detail. It’s the biggest space collaboration between the two countries and will join dozens of Earth observation missions already in operation by the US and India. The satellite called NISAR will operate from a near-polar-circling orbit 464 miles high.
543-210 All Yeah. That’s Of the GSLV16 NSA mission, the deafening roar of GSLV and beautiful silhouette brightening the sky. UC or DSLV uh successful uh launching uh the this is going to the destination. We are.
Advertisement WATCH: US and India launch historic joint mission that could change the way we see Earth Editorial Standards ⓘ
NASA and India paired up to launch an Earth-mapping satellite on Wednesday capable of tracking even the slightest shifts in land and ice.Watch video of the launch in the player above.The $1.3 billion mission will help forecasters and first responders stay one step ahead of floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and other disasters, according to scientists.Rocketing to orbit from India, the satellite will survey virtually all of Earth’s terrain multiple times. Its two radars — one from the U.S. and the other from India — will operate day and night, peering through clouds, rain and foliage to collect troves of data in extraordinary detail.Microwave signals beamed down to Earth from the dual radars will bounce back up to the satellite’s super-sized antenna reflector perched at the end of a boom like a beach umbrella. Scientists will compare the incoming and outgoing signals as the spacecraft passes over the same locations twice every 12 days, teasing out changes as small as a fraction of an inch.“Congratulations India!” India’s minister of science and technology, Jitendra Singh, said via X once the satellite safely reached orbit. The mission “will benefit the entire world community.”NASA’s deputy associate administrator Casey Swails, part of a small delegation that traveled to India for the launch, said it “really shows the world what our two nations can do. But more so than that, it really is a pathfinder for the relationship building.”It will take a full week to extend the satellite’s 30-foot boom and open the 39-foot-in-diameter drum-shaped reflector made of gold-plated wire mesh. Science operations should begin by the end of October.Among the satellite’s most pressing measurements: melting glaciers and polar ice sheets; shifting groundwater supplies; motion and stress of land surfaces prompting landslides and earthquakes; and forest and wetland disruptions boosting carbon dioxide and methane emissions.It’s “a first-of-its-kind, jewel radar satellite that will change the way we study our home planet and better predict a natural disaster before it strikes,” NASA’s science mission chief Nicky Fox said ahead of liftoff. She was part of the NASA delegation that attended the launch in person.NASA is contributing $1.2 billion to the three-year mission; it supplied the low-frequency radar and reflector. The Indian Space Research Organization’s $91 million share includes the higher-frequency radar and main satellite structure, as well as the launch from a barrier island in the Bay of Bengal. It’s the biggest space collaboration between the two countries.The satellite called NISAR — short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar — will operate from a near-polar-circling orbit 464 miles high. It will join dozens of Earth observation missions already in operation by the U.S. and India.
How will NASA-ISRO’s historic mission NISAR revolutionize Earth monitoring?
Joint mission of NASA and ISRO called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota today. The satellite will use two different frequencies, which will allow it to scan the entire Earth in 12 days while capturing subtle and accurate images of the planet in all conditions. Its cost is around Rs 12,500 crore (1.5 billion dollars), in which India’s contribution is Rs 788 crore. This satellite will give advance warning of disasters like floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
A joint mission of NASA and ISRO called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 17:40 hours IST. The satellite will use two different frequencies (NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band), which will allow it to scan the entire Earth in 12 days while capturing subtle and accurate images of the planet in all conditions
What is NISAR mission?
New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the US space agency NASA have jointly prepared a historic mission named NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar).
This satellite will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota today and will change the way the Earth is monitored. Its cost is around Rs 12,500 crore (1.5 billion dollars), in which India’s contribution is Rs 788 crore.
Features of NISAR: The world’s first dual-frequency radar satellite
NISAR is the first satellite in the world that will use two different radar frequencies (NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band). This technology can also capture the subtle movements of the Earth’s surface and below it. Be it clouds, dark night, or dense forest, NISAR can take accurate pictures of the Earth in every situation. This satellite will scan the entire earth every 12 days and can track activities up to 4 millimeters, which will be helpful in predicting natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides.
Why is NISAR important for India?
Help in disaster management
This satellite will give advance warning of disasters like floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
It will prove effective in preventing tragedies like the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and the 2004 tsunami.
Agriculture and water resource management
It will measure soil moisture and give farmers accurate information about irrigation.
It will track land subsidence (like in Delhi-NCR) caused by excessive exploitation of groundwater.
Eye on climate change
It will measure the speed of melting of Himalayan glaciers, which will help in estimating the water level of rivers.
An example of global partnership
NISAR is the result of a 10-year partnership between India and the US. ISRO has provided the satellite bus and S-band radar, while NASA has provided the L-band radar and a 12-meter antenna. This mission establishes India’s space technology on the global stage.
Stay tuned to Dynamite News for further updates.
World’s most expensive Indo-US joint sat mission NISAR to lift off on July 30
The world’s most expensive earth observation satellite, NISAR, will be launched after much delay from the Sriharikota spaceport at 5.40 pm on July 30. Both India and the US have been working on the NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) for over a decade and it has cost them over $1.5 billion. The satellite will be the first one to observe the Earth with a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar, with one each provided by Isro (S-band) and Nasa (L-band). All data from NISar will be freely available one to two days after observation and within hours in case of emergencies like natural disasters. Its data will also reveal information about the evolution and state of Earth’s crust, help scientists better understand our planet’s natural processes and changing climate.
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Both India and the US have been working on the NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) for over a decade and it has cost them over $1.5 billion.
“Historic Launch Ahead… 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 posted on X.
Talking to TOI on Tuesday, space minister Jitendra Singh said, “NISAR will open a new horizon in Indo-US collaboration.
The satellite will take images of every piece of Earth. It will not only have scientific applications but also provide new earth science”.
The minister, who wanted to witness the crucial launch but may not be able to go to Sriharikota due to Parliament being in session, told TOI that “crucial data generated from NISAR will, besides being beneficial for the US and India, help other countries in disaster management. Thus, it will live up to PM Modi’s dream of Bharat playing the role of Vishwa Bandhu.”
India’s GSLV-F16 rocket will inject the synthetic aperture radar satellite into a 743-km sun-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98.4 degrees. NISAR will observe Earth with a swath of 242 km and high spatial resolution, using SweepSAR technology for the first time. The satellite, weighing 2,392 kg, will be the first one to observe the Earth with a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar, with one each provided by Isro (S-band) and Nasa (L-band).
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The NISAR mission is designed to observe and measure some of the planet’s most complex natural processes, including ecosystem disturbances and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides. The mission will also observe sea ice characteristics on the seas surrounding India’s Antarctic polar stations and can be used to detect a marine oil spill and disseminate the spill location for preventive measures.
Its other applications include ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm characterisation, changes in soil moisture, mapping & monitoring of surface water resources and disaster response. Data from the NISAR satellite will also be used to map crop growth, track plant health and monitor soil moisture — offering detailed, timely information for decision-making.
Under the terms of the agreement, Nasa has provided the mission’s L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), a high-rate telecommunication subsystem for scientific data GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and a payload data subsystem.
On the other hand, Isro has provided the satellite bus, an S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), launch vehicle GSLV-1F16, and associated launch services.
Two synthetic aperture radars aboard NISAR will detect changes in the planet’s surface down to fractions of an inch. The spacecraft will bounce microwave signals off Earth’s surface and receive the return signals on a radar antenna reflector measuring 39 feet across.
It will also offer unprecedented coverage of Antarctica, information that will help with the study of how the continent’s ice sheet changes over time.
All data from NISAR will be freely available one to two days after observation and within hours in case of emergencies like natural disasters. Its data will also reveal information about the evolution and state of Earth’s crust, help scientists better understand our planet’s natural processes and changing climate, and aid future resource and hazard management.