India successfully test fires Agni I, Prithvi II
The Strategic Forces Command carried out the scheduled operational tests, launching Agni-I from APJ Abdul Kalam Island and Prithvi-II from the Chandipur testing facility. "All operational and technical parameters have been validated," a defence spokesperson announced on social media platform X.
The Agni-I, capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads, is crucial for India's strategic deterrence capabilities. The successful test demonstrates the missile's reliable performance under operational conditions. Prithvi-II reinforces India's short-range ballistic missile arsenal. The missile's strategic positioning allows it to reach key targets within neighbouring regions.
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India Today
15 hours ago
- India Today
Nisar: The billion-dollar radar that can see through clouds and darkness
When Nisar, a.k.a the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar, takes flight aboard India's GSLV Mk-II rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on July 30, 2025, it won't just be another Earth observation satellite in orbit, it will be a technological marvel, the likes of which the world has never seen satellite will be placed in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, 747 km above Earth, completing 14 orbits every just 97 minutes, Nisar will circle the planet once, and in 12 days, it will have mapped nearly every inch of Earth's landmass and ice sheets. For scientists, climate researchers, and disaster managers, this is a dream come true. The mission's open-source data will be freely available to researchers. (Photo: Isro) WHAT MAKES NISAR A GAME-CHANGER? At its heart, Nisar carries a world-first technology – a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Most radar imaging satellites work with a single frequency, but Nisar carries two powerful radar systems: L-band radar (24 cm wavelength) built by Nasa and S-band radar (12 cm wavelength) developed by unique combination allows Nisar to 'see' through clouds, thick forest canopies, smoke, and even in complete importantly, it can detect tiny changes in the Earth's surface, as small as a few millimeters. That means scientists can track how much a glacier has shifted, how much a fault line has moved after an earthquake, or even how much a city is sinking due to groundwater depletion. Nisar is set to become something more – a guardian that can sense Earth's heartbeat. (Photo: Nasa) Nisar achieves this precision through a special technique called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Think of it like taking two radar 'photos' of the same place a few days apart and comparing them to spot tiny sends out invisible radar waves to Earth's surface and listens for the waves that bounce back. By carefully analysing the timing (or 'phase') of these returning waves, InSAR can detect changes as small as a centimeter, like the ground shifting slightly after an earthquake or a glacier moving over creates detailed maps showing how Earth's surface is changing, helping scientists predict disasters or monitor climate shifts with incredible accuracy, no matter the weather or time of this data is made possible thanks to its massive 12-meter gold-plated deployable mesh antenna – the largest radar imaging antenna ever launched into space. For comparison, it's almost as wide as a badminton court when fully unfolded. WHY THE WORLD NEEDS NISAREarth's rapid changes are outpacing the capabilities of traditional satellites, which often lack the precision needed to capture critical details. Nisar bridges this gap with its high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging, delivering a near real-time view of our planet's dynamic will revolutionise our understanding by:advertisementTracking climate change: Observing polar ice loss, glacier shifts, and permafrost thawing with unprecedented management: Identifying subtle signs of land subsidence, landslide risks, and fault-line movements to predict earthquakes & water security: Forecasting crop yields, monitoring soil moisture, and mapping groundwater depletion to ensure resource & ecosystems: Measuring deforestation, forest biomass, and the carbon storage potential of vegetation to support conservation simple terms, Nisar will give us a near-real-time 'health check-up' of the Earth every few days. It has the largest radar imaging antenna ever launched into space. (Photo: Nasa) A BILLION-DOLLAR PARTNERSHIPNisar is one of the most expensive Earth observation missions ever undertaken, with a total cost estimated at $1.5 billion (Rs 12,500 crore).Nasa's contribution, covering the L-band radar, radar electronics, GPS receivers, and engineering support, is approximately $1.2 billion (Rs 10,000 crore).Isro's contribution, which includes the S-band radar, satellite bus, launch vehicle, and ground systems, is around Rs 788 crore (approximately $93 million).Despite the significant investment, the mission's open-source data will be freely available to researchers and governments worldwide, offering immense value for global scientific and climate research efforts. THE ROAD AHEADFor decades, satellites have been our eyes in the sky, but Nisar is set to become something more – a guardian that can sense Earth's tracking movements invisible to the naked eye, it promises to help humanity understand natural hazards, prepare for disasters, and fight climate it finally unfurls its giant golden antenna in orbit, Nisar will mark not just a triumph of space technology but also a symbol of international cooperation for the planet's future.(This is an authored article by Manish Purohit. Manish is a solar energy and spacecraft solar panel expert with extensive experience in managing critical space missions, including Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan)- EndsMust Watch
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- The Hindu
What makes the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite so special?
The story so far: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch the NISAR satellite from Sriharikota on July 30 onboard a GSLV Mk-II rocket. 'NISAR' stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar and is a joint mission of the two space agencies. It is a sophisticated earth-observation satellite designed to study changes on the earth's surface in fine detail, covering earthquakes, volcanoes, ecosystems, ice sheets, farmland, floods, and landslides. What's the need for NISAR? NISAR is the first major earth-observing mission with a dual-band radar, which will allow it to observe changes more precisely than any other satellite. It will be able to see through clouds, smoke, and even thick vegetation, both at day and night, in all weather conditions. The three-tonne machine has been a decade in the making and costs more than $1.5 billion, also making it one of the most expensive earth-observing satellites to date. The earth's surface is constantly changing. Natural disasters, human-driven changes, and climate shifts all affect environments and human societies. Satellites provide critical information by taking snapshots of these changes from space, helping scientists, governments, and relief agencies prepare for, respond to or study them. To this end, NASA and ISRO have created a powerful global mission that also allows ISRO guaranteed access to a stream of high‑resolution data tailored to India's needs. NISAR's science and application goals span six areas: solid earth processes, ecosystems, ice dynamics, coastal and ocean processes, disaster response, and additional applications (including tracking groundwater, oil reservoirs, and infrastructure like levees, dams, and roads for subsidence or deformation and supporting food security research). The planned mission lifetime is three years although its design lifetime is at least five years. Notably, the mission's data policy entails that the data NISAR produces will be freely available to all users (typically) within a few hours. How does NISAR work? Once it is launched, NISAR will enter into a sun-synchronous polar orbit at 747 km altitude and an inclination of 98.4°. From here, instead of snapping pictures, NISAR's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) will bounce radar waves off the planet's surface and measure how long the signal takes to come back and how its phase changes. The ability of a radar antenna to resolve smaller details increases with its length, called its aperture. In orbit, deploying an antenna hundreds of metres long is impractical. SAR gets around this by mimicking a giant antenna. As the spacecraft moves forward, it transmits a train of radar pulses and records the echoes. Later, a computer coherently combines all those echoes as if they had been captured simultaneously by one very long antenna, hence the 'synthetic aperture'. NISAR will combine an L-band SAR (1.257 GHz), which uses longer-wavelength radiowaves to track changes under thick forests and soil and deformations on the ground, and an S-band SAR (3.2 GHz), which uses shorter-wavelength radiowaves to capture surface details, such as crops and water surfaces. Although NISAR will operate globally at L‑band, ISRO has reserved routine, planned acquisitions with the S‑band SAR over India. The latter acquisitions have extended sensitivity to biomass, better soil‑moisture retrieval, and mitigate ionospheric noise — all capabilities tuned to India's needs in agriculture, forestry, and disaster management. Because the L‑band radar is the principal tool for NASA's mission goals, the instrument is expected to operate in up to 70% of every orbit. This said, operating both radars together is an official implementation goal so that mode conflicts over the Indian subcontinent are minimised. Polarisation is the direction in which the electric field of some electromagnetic radiation, like radiowaves, oscillates. SAR can transmit and receive radar signals with horizontal or vertical polarisation. Using different combinations will allow the instruments to identify the structure and types of different surface materials, like soil, snow, crop or wood. The swath width, i.e. the breadth of the bands on the ground the SARs will scan, is an ultra-wide 240 km. The radars' SweepSAR design will transmit this beam and, upon its return, digitally steer multiple small sub‑apertures in sequence, synthesising beams that sweep across the ground track. This scan‑on‑receive method allows the 240‑km swath without compromising resolution. The resulting scans will have a spatial resolution of 3-10 m and centrimetre-scale vertical mapping — enough to spot impending land subsidence in cities, for example — depending on the mode. Each spot on the ground will be scanned once every 12 satellite also features a large 12-m-wide mesh antenna. NISAR will produce annual maps of aboveground woody biomass of 1 ha resolution and quarterly maps of active and inactive cropland. High-resolution maps of flooded versus dry areas will be available as well. During a disaster, NISAR can also be directed to collect data for 'damage proxy maps' to be delivered in under five hours. This said, for certain acquisition modes, NISAR won't be able to achieve full global coverage at the highest resolution. Above roughly 60° latitude, every alternative observation will be skipped due to converging ground tracks. Similarly, some 10% of the surface may not be mapped from either direction (of the satellite's passage over the ground) in any given 12-day cycle. How was NISAR built? At the time the two space organisations agreed to build NISAR, NASA and ISRO decided each body would contribute equivalent‑scale hardware, expertise, and funding. ISRO's contributions in particular are mission‑critical. The organisation supplied the I‑3K spacecraft bus, the platform that houses the controls to handle command and data, propulsion, and attitude, plus 4 kW of solar power. The same package also included the entire S‑band radar electronics, a high‑rate Ka‑band telecom subsystem, and a gimballed high‑gain antenna. The S‑band electronics were designed and built at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. NASA's biggest contribution was the complete L‑band SAR system. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory supplied all radio‑frequency electronics, the 12‑m antenna, a 9-m carbon-composite boom, and the instrument structure that carries both radars. The agency also fabricated the L‑band feed aperture and provided the supporting avionics, including a high‑capacity solid‑state recorder, a GPS receiver, an autonomous payload data system, and a Ka‑band payload communications subsystem. The spacecraft was to be integrated at the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru after the two radars were mated at JPL. The final observatory‑level tests will therefore have taken place on Indian soil. After that the mission will lift off from Sriharikota onboard a GSLV Mk-II launch vehicle, with ISRO providing end‑to‑end launch services and documentation. While themission operations are to be centred at the JPL Mission Operations Center, day‑to‑day flight operations will be led from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bengaluru. Once NISAR is in orbit, most of its data will be sent through NASA's Near Earth Network facilities in Alaska, Svalbard (Norway), and Punta Arenas (Chile), which can together receive around 3 TB of radar data per day. They will be complemented by ISRO's ground stations in Shadnagar and Antarctica. After the raw data arrive, India's National Remote Sensing Centre will process and distribute all products required for Indian users, mirroring NASA's pipeline.
News18
20 hours ago
- News18
APJ Abdul Kalam Death Anniversary 2025: 10 Thought-Provoking Quotes By The Missile Man Of India
Last Updated: India remembers Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on his 10th death anniversary with tributes and timeless quotes that continue to ignite minds and inspire generations to dream big. APJ Abdul Kalam Death Anniversary 2025: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, one of India's most respected scientists and leaders, continues to be remembered for his extraordinary life and work. Known as the 'Missile Man of India," he played a key role in developing India's missile and defence systems. As the 11th President of India, Dr. Kalam also inspired the nation with his wisdom, vision, and dedication to public service. His major contribution came through the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, which led to successful missiles like Agni and Prithvi. Beyond his scientific success, Dr. Kalam stood out for his humility, honesty, and passion for education. He spent his life encouraging students and believed in the power of dreams, hard work, and determination. Even after his presidency, he continued to teach, guide, and motivate young minds across the country. Sadly, Dr. Kalam passed away on July 27, 2015, while giving a lecture to students—a moment that showed his lifelong commitment to learning and sharing knowledge. This year, on July 27, India marks his 10th death anniversary. People across the nation will remember his contributions, with tributes and events being held in his honour. Dr. Kalam's inspiring words still live on, especially among the youth. His quotes encourage people to dream big, stay focused, and never give up. They serve as life lessons and reminders of how powerful thoughts and dedication can shape one's future. Here are 10 thought-provoking quotes by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam that continue to inspire millions: APJ Abdul Kalam's Quotes 'Dream is not that which you see while sleeping; it is something that does not let you sleep." 'Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work." 'If four things are followed – having a great aim, acquiring knowledge, hard work, and perseverance – then anything can be achieved." 'To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal." 'If you fail, never give up because FAIL means 'First attempt in learning.'" 'To become 'unique,' the challenge is to fight the hardest battle which anyone can imagine until you reach your destination." 'If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun." 'Small aim is a crime; have great aim." 'Don't take rest after your first victory because if you fail in the second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck." 'Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life." Dr. Kalam's legacy reminds us that with dreams, discipline, and dedication, anything is possible. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
