NASA and ISRO Launch Joint Satellite to Monitor Earth’s Surface Changes

NASA and ISRO Launch Joint Satellite to Monitor Earth’s Surface Changes
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In a landmark collaboration, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite to detect subtle movements on Earth’s surface, CNN reported. The satellite lifted off Wednesday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre aboard an Indian GSLV-F16 rocket.

NISAR is the first satellite jointly developed by the two agencies, featuring dual synthetic aperture radar systems — NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band — capable of detecting ground shifts as small as fractions of an inch. It will orbit Earth 14 times daily, mapping most of the planet’s land and ice surfaces every 12 days.

The mission aims to improve global responses to natural disasters by monitoring phenomena like earthquakes, landslides, floods, and volcanic activity. Its data will also support research in agriculture, forestry, glacier movement, and climate change.

NASA and ISRO engineers worked across continents for years to assemble and integrate the satellite, which symbolizes deepening scientific cooperation between the U.S. and India. Indian Minister Jitendra Singh called it a step toward India becoming a “global partner” in advancing human welfare through science. NISAR’s data will be made publicly available to benefit countries worldwide.