NASA And ISRO Successfully Launch The NISAR Satellite To Monitor Earth's Conditions

JAKARTA The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite was launched on Wednesday, July 30 at around 19.10 WIB. This satellite took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India.

As the name suggests, this satellite is the result of collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). With a sophisticated radar system, NISAR will show details from Earth with a dynamic three-dimensional view.

This radar system will be used to detect movement from land and ice surfaces in various parts of the world. This advanced satellite can also provide important information to deal with disasters, infrastructure problems, and agricultural management.

NISAR launched using ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket. The launch was confirmed to run smoothly as ISRO managed to establish communication with the satellite about 20 minutes after launch.

Nicky Fox, Administrator of the NASA Science Mission Directorate Association, appreciated the success of this launch. He believes that NISAR will help many parties with data collected by its radar system.

"At the most crucial times, NISAR data will help ensure the health and safety of those affected on Earth, as well as infrastructure that supports them, for the common good," Fox said.

NISAR will operate at an altitude of 747 kilometers above Earth. By utilizing two of its radar instruments, NISAR will monitor all land and ice surfaces twice in 12 days.

In the coming weeks, the spacecraft will start a commissioning phase of about 90 days. During this period, NISAR will install a 12 meter long radar antenna reflector that will direct and receive microwave signals from both radars.

"With this successful launch, we are on the verge of fulfilling the extraordinary scientific potential that NASA and ISRO envisioned for the NISAR mission more than 10 years ago," said ISRO V Chair Narayanan.