NASA And ISRO's NISAR Forum Will Launch In March 2025

Illustration of NISAR rides in space (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA The launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) spacecraft was delayed due to device components that needed to be repaired. Supposedly, NISAR took off in the spring of this year.

After its main radar antenna is repaired, NASA and the Indian Space Research Agency (ISRO) are now preparing their rides for launch. The plan, these two institutions will launch the fastest NISAR in March next year.

This news was conveyed by Gerald Bawden, program scientist for the NISAR mission, while attending the annual American Geophysical Union meeting some time ago, according to a Spacenews report. Bawden explained that this vehicle will take off from India.

"We are now ready with NISAR. The hardware has been fully inspected," Bawden said. The scientist also explained what improvements had been made by technicians for several months to address the problems on the antenna.

During testing the vehicle in the thermal vacuum, technicians found temperatures higher than expected in some parts. This problem has been fixed with, "released reflectors from NISAR and brought them back to the US."

Even though it has been repaired, NISAR will be temporarily stored for two reasons. First, NASA and NISAR wait for the end of the solar eclipse period on February 8. Second, the launch pad will be used for other missions.

The Indian Satish Dhawan Space Center will be used to launch a geosynchronous satellite launcher (GSLV), namely NVS-02. This spacecraft is targeted to take off in January and NISAR will need to wait a few weeks after its launch ends.

"After launching, it will take six to eight weeks to renovate the launch pad," Bawden explained. Therefore, the NISAR launch window will only be opened in March next year.