NASA, India launch satellite to track movement of Earth's surface
New Delhi
The US space agency NASA has launched a satellite into space in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) designed to measure changes on the Earth's surface at levels of precision previously unknown.
The data could help to identify natural hazards and better track sea ice and glaciers, both agencies said on Wednesday.
The Earth observation satellite lifted off on Wednesday afternoon aboard an Indian launch vehicle at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the south-eastern coast of India, live images on NASA's YouTube channel showed.
The rocket successfully placed the satellite into its intended orbit, said ISRO Chairman V Narayanan.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is planned for a basic duration of three years.
From a low orbit at an altitude of 747 kilometres, the satellite is set to measure the movements of the Earth's surface twice every 12 days, once the 90-day commissioning phase in space is completed.
'This kind of regular observation allows us to look at how Earth's surface moves across nearly the entire planet,' said NASA researcher and NISAR applications lead Cathleen Jones.
According to NASA, land and ice surfaces can be observed like never before. Movements of fractions of centimetres can be detected, it said, adding that this capability will be particularly useful in areas surrounding volcanoes or faults that are obscured by vegetation.
However, the satellite cannot predict earthquakes, said the mission's geoscience lead, Mark Simons.
'Instead, it will help us better understand which areas of the world are most susceptible to significant earthquakes,' Simons said in a statement posted on NASA's website To achieve the intended level of detail, the satellite is equipped with two radar instruments, each developed by ISRO and NASA.
The synthetic aperture radar, which operates at long wavelengths, can reportedly capture measurements regardless of weather conditions, both day and night, and see through clouds that can obstruct the view of optical devices.
This is the first collaboration between NASA and ISRO in the field of hardware development.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
NASA, India launch satellite to track movement of Earth's surface
dpa New Delhi The US space agency NASA has launched a satellite into space in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) designed to measure changes on the Earth's surface at levels of precision previously unknown. The data could help to identify natural hazards and better track sea ice and glaciers, both agencies said on Wednesday. The Earth observation satellite lifted off on Wednesday afternoon aboard an Indian launch vehicle at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the south-eastern coast of India, live images on NASA's YouTube channel showed. The rocket successfully placed the satellite into its intended orbit, said ISRO Chairman V Narayanan. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is planned for a basic duration of three years. From a low orbit at an altitude of 747 kilometres, the satellite is set to measure the movements of the Earth's surface twice every 12 days, once the 90-day commissioning phase in space is completed. 'This kind of regular observation allows us to look at how Earth's surface moves across nearly the entire planet,' said NASA researcher and NISAR applications lead Cathleen Jones. According to NASA, land and ice surfaces can be observed like never before. Movements of fractions of centimetres can be detected, it said, adding that this capability will be particularly useful in areas surrounding volcanoes or faults that are obscured by vegetation. However, the satellite cannot predict earthquakes, said the mission's geoscience lead, Mark Simons. 'Instead, it will help us better understand which areas of the world are most susceptible to significant earthquakes,' Simons said in a statement posted on NASA's website To achieve the intended level of detail, the satellite is equipped with two radar instruments, each developed by ISRO and NASA. The synthetic aperture radar, which operates at long wavelengths, can reportedly capture measurements regardless of weather conditions, both day and night, and see through clouds that can obstruct the view of optical devices. This is the first collaboration between NASA and ISRO in the field of hardware development.
Qatar Tribune
15-07-2025
- Qatar Tribune
Private space crew returns to Earth after stay at ISS
DPA Washington A private astronaut crew returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday. The Axiom Mission 4 landed in the sea near the Californian coast and was picked up by a recovery ship. The four travellers on board the Dragon capsule from Elon Musk's company SpaceX had spent two weeks in space. An astronaut from India's ISRO space agency was on board for the first time. The flight was made possible by co-operation between NASA and ISRO, after an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In addition to the Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the crew also included the Pole Sławosz Uznaski-Winiewski, the Hungarian Tibor Kapu and the former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The mission brought astronauts from Poland and Hungary to the space station for an extended stay for the first time. A video on X showed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk watching the landing on television. 'Welcome back,' he said. 'Thank God, everything went well.' On its return, the Dragon capsule brought around 260 kilograms of cargo to Earth, including NASA equipment and scientific data from over 60 experiments. The mission is part of NASA's long-term strategy to open up low-Earth orbit more to commercial space travel. In future, private providers are to increasingly take over transport and research services, while the US space agency concentrates on missions to the moon and later to Mars. According to media reports, a flight with Axiom costs around €70 million ($81.4 million) per passenger. In 2022, the company organized the first private mission to the ISS, followed by others in 2023 and 2024.
Qatar Tribune
03-07-2025
- Qatar Tribune
Swiss nuclear power plant completely shut down due to hot weather
GenevacTypeface:> The more than 50-year-old Swiss nuclear power plant Beznau, located near the German border, has shut down its second reactor due to the high temperatures. The shutdown has nothing to do with the safety of the reactors but is related to environmental regulations, the operator said on Thursday. The operator, Axpo, must adhere to limits on the water temperatures in the river Aare. The plant draws water from the river to cool the reactors and later returns it warmer than before. If the Aare is already very warm due to the outside temperatures, additional warm water cannot be discharged. This is intended to protect the flora and fauna of the Aare, Axpo stated. South of the nuclear power plant, the water temperature was 24.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday evening, according to the Federal Office for the Environment. (DPA)
