India to launch NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite today: Here's how to watch live
In a statement, former ISRO chairperson K Sivan said NISAR 'is a very advanced satellite that can capture even the slightest of the movements on the Earth's surface. These observations can help them in mapping changes such as volcanic hazards or landslides and prepare in advance. This is a result of a collaboration that started nearly 10 years ago.'
Weighing 2.392 kg, the Earth observation will be launched aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II, or GSLV Mk II rocket for short, with liftoff scheduled for Wednesday, July 30 at 5:40 PM IST. You can watch the live launch of NISAR using the link below, or you can head over to NASA's website to tune in to the launch.
The Earth observation satellite will take anywhere between eight to ten days for full deployment. Post launch, NISAR will be in a 65-day engineering phase where scientists will conduct preliminary tests and calibrations every day.
Jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), the Earth observation satellite is capable of mapping the Earth during both day and night time in any weather condition.
Designed to scan the entire Earth every 12 days, the satellite will have two synthetic aperture radars called SARs, which are designed to detect changes to the planet's surface down to fractions of an inch. The Earth observation satellite can help scientists monitor natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides, and also offer them an 'unprecedented coverage of Antarctica' so they can understand how ice sheets change over time.
The first-ever hardware collaboration between ISRO and NASA features two radar systems which will monitor Earth's land and ice surfaces every 12 days. NISAR will also cover surfaces where no other satellite has been able to reach. The S-band radar, which was built by ISRO, will help monitor crops, while the L-band radar, which is developed by NASA, is capable of penetrating deep forest canopies. These components were integrated and installed on a modified ISRO I3K spacecraft bus earlier this year.
NISAR's launch has been delayed numerous times, with the last launch date pushed back after it had trouble with the unfurlable antennae.
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