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ISRO-NASA Jointly Launch NISAR Satellite Aboard GSLV-F16 for First Dual-Frequency Earth Observation Mission.

Science and Technology | Dated: 02 Aug 2025

On July 30, 2025, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using the GSLV-F16 rocket. This marked a landmark collaboration between ISRO and NASA for advanced Earth observation capabilities.

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - The NISAR satellite represents the first-ever joint Earth observation mission between ISRO and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), with a total investment exceeding USD 1.5 billion and over a decade of development.
  • - It is the world’s first radar imaging satellite designed to operate with dual-frequency radar bands—L-band and S-band—on a single platform, enabling precise monitoring of Earth's cryosphere, ecosystems, and soil changes.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) The mission marked the 18th launch of the GSLV series and the 12th launch using India’s indigenous cryogenic upper stage, further enhancing ISRO’s capability in deploying high-weight payloads.
  • (ii) The primary objective of NISAR is to deliver high-resolution, day-and-night, all-weather imaging across a 242-kilometer swath, revisiting the same area every 12 days and scanning almost the entire Earth’s land and ice surfaces.
  • (iii) NISAR weighs approximately 2,392 kilograms and will operate in a sun-synchronous polar orbit at about 747 kilometers altitude. It is designed for a 5-year mission life with consumables supporting around 3 years of continuous operations.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

Recently, Which two space agencies jointly launched the NISAR satellite for advanced Earth observation?

Correct Answer: ISRO–NASA

🚀 Quick Recap:

About ISRO

  • Chairman : Dr. V. Narayanan
  • Headquarters: Bengaluru