Indo-US collaborative NISAR space mission goes forward

CHENNAI: The Indo-US collaborative NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission moved ahead with the Indian space agency sending the S-Band SAR payload. The payload SAR that can send good clarity pictures of the earth was flagged off by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K.Sivan on March 4 through virtual mode, said ISRO.

The S-Band SAR was shipped from Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad to Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena for integration with L-Bank SAR payload of JPL, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). The two payloads after being integrated will be sent to India where the satellite will be built and launched into the space. The NISAR will be put into orbit in late 2022 or early 2023 by Indian rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-Mk II).

Coconuts were broken before the truck loaded with SAR moved out of the Space Applications Centre. According to Indian space agency, NISAR is a joint collaboration between ISRO and NASA for a dual-frequency L and S-Band SAR for earth observation. NISAR would provide a means of disentangling highly spatial and temporally complex processes ranging from ecosystem disturbances to ice sheet collapses and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

On Sept. 30, 2014, NASA and ISRO signed a partnership to collaborate on and launch NISAR. The US space agency NASA is providing the mission's L-band synthetic aperture radar, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem.

ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services, NASA said.

ISRO identified science and applications that were complementary to the primary mission objectives: agricultural monitoring and characterization, landslide studies, Himalayan glacier studies, soil moisture, coastal processes, coastal winds, and monitoring hazards. (IANS)

Also Read: NASA names Mars rover touchdown site after Octavia Butler

Also watch: India Tourism North East organizing a 1000 Km solo cycle ride across Assam