In a powerful demonstration of international collaboration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. The launch, which took place on July 30, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, saw India's GSLV-F16 rocket place the advanced satellite into orbit.
NISAR is a groundbreaking Earth observation satellite equipped with a dual-frequency radar system. It combines NASA's L-band radar with ISRO's S-band radar to provide high-resolution, all-weather, and day-and-night imaging of Earth. The mission will produce vital data on climate change, natural disasters, and ecosystem dynamics. It's designed to monitor land and ice deformation, track glacier movements, and map forest biomass with unprecedented accuracy. By scanning the entire globe every 12 days, NISAR will provide scientists and governments with crucial information for disaster response, urban planning, and environmental management.
This mission is a symbol of the strong scientific partnership between India and the United States, showcasing India's growing capability not just in launching satellites for others, but in co-developing and operating complex, scientific missions for the benefit of the entire planet.