US, India launch satellite to track Earth's surface – DW – 07/30/2025
The US space administration NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) together launched an Earth-mapping satellite Wednesday. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is designed to track even the tiniest of changes in the Earth's surface.
The goal of the $1.3 billion (€1.14 billion) mission is to help understand what leads to both manmade and natural disasters, such as floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions.
NISAR launched at 12:10 GMT from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the southeastern coast of India.
"Congratulations India!" India's minister of science and technology, Jitendra Singh, posted on X once the satellite safely reached orbit.
Now in orbit around Earth's poles, NISAR has got a busy 3 years ahead of itself. While 747 kilometers (464 miles) high, observing melting glaciers and polar ice sheets are among the satellite's research goals. NISAR will measure the Earth's surface twice every 12 days, observing shifts as small as 1 centimeter (0.4 inches).
The satellite won't be able to predict the next earthquake but "it will help us better understand which areas of the world are most susceptible to significant earthquakes," the mission's geoscience lead, Mark Simons, said in a statement on NASA's website.
"We'll see land substance and swelling, movement, deformation and melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering both Greenland and Antarctica, and, of course, we'll see wildfires," added Karen St Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science division.
She called NISAR "the most sophisticated radar we've ever built."
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
NISAR is the world's first radar imaging satellite to use two radar frequencies. The so-called L-band radar is provided by NASA, and the S-band radar was developed by ISRO. These radars operate around the clock to capture Earth in extreme detail and can reportedly capture measurements regardless of weather conditions.
The two radars will beam signals down to Earth. When these signals bounce back, the satellite will receive them via its huge antenna reflector. Scientists will then compare the incoming and outgoing signals as the satellite passes over the same location.
"The potential applications from the satellite are huge, and the global scientific community is eagerly awaiting the satellite data," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said after the launch.
"It is not going to be used by one or two countries. The entire globe is going to benefit from this great accomplishment," he said.
NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails said the satellite "really shows the world what our two nations can do."
The launch marks the biggest space collaboration between the United States and India. NASA contributed $1.2 billion for the low-frequency radar and reflector, while ISRO contributed $91 million for the higher-frequency radar and main satellite structure.
India's space program has seen a boost in recent years. In 2014, it placed a probe in Mars orbit and, in 2023, it landed a rover on the Moon.
Shubhanshu Shukla recently became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
NASA Races To Put Nuclear Reactors On Moon And Mars
The United States is rushing to put nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, and hopes to launch the first system by the end of the decade. A new NASA directive -- first reported by Politico and seen by AFP on Tuesday -- calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select two commercial proposals within six months, framing the push as crucial to outpacing a joint Chinese-Russian effort. Signed by acting NASA chief Sean Duffy, who is also US transportation secretary, the July 31 memo is the latest sign of the agency's shift towards prioritizing human space exploration over scientific research under President Donald Trump's second term. "Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s," it says. "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first." The idea of using nuclear energy off-planet is not new. Since 2000, NASA has invested $200 million towards developing small, lightweight fission power systems, though none have progressed towards flight readiness, according to the directive. The most recent effort came in 2023 with the completion of three $5 million industry study contracts that focused on generating 40 kilowatts of power, enough to continuously run 30 households for ten years. Unlike solar power, fission systems can operate around the clock -- invaluable during the weeks-long lunar nights or Martian dust storms. Advances in technology have made such systems increasingly compact and lightweight. NASA formally committed to using nuclear power on Mars in December 2024 -- the first of seven key decisions necessary for human exploration of the Red Planet. Based on feedback by industry, surface power needs should be at least 100 kilowatts to support "long-term human operations including in-situ resource utilization," meaning things like life support, communications, and mining equipment to collect surface ice. It assumes the use of a "heavy class lander" that carries up to 15 metric tons of mass, and targets a "readiness to launch by the first quarter of FY30," meaning late 2029. NASA's Artemis program to return to the Moon and establish a lasting presence near the south pole has faced repeated delays. The timeline for Artemis 3, the first planned crewed landing, has slipped to 2027, a date few see as realistic given the planned lander, SpaceX's Starship, is far from ready. China meanwhile is targeting 2030 for its first crewed mission and has proven more adept at meeting its deadlines in recent years.
DW
6 days ago
- DW
US, India launch satellite to track Earth's surface – DW – 07/30/2025
The "first of its kind" satellite will map the Earth's surface in incredible detail. Mission officials say it will help us better understand areas at risk of earthquakes. The US space administration NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) together launched an Earth-mapping satellite Wednesday. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is designed to track even the tiniest of changes in the Earth's surface. The goal of the $1.3 billion (€1.14 billion) mission is to help understand what leads to both manmade and natural disasters, such as floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions. NISAR launched at 12:10 GMT from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the southeastern coast of India. "Congratulations India!" India's minister of science and technology, Jitendra Singh, posted on X once the satellite safely reached orbit. Now in orbit around Earth's poles, NISAR has got a busy 3 years ahead of itself. While 747 kilometers (464 miles) high, observing melting glaciers and polar ice sheets are among the satellite's research goals. NISAR will measure the Earth's surface twice every 12 days, observing shifts as small as 1 centimeter (0.4 inches). The satellite won't be able to predict the next earthquake but "it will help us better understand which areas of the world are most susceptible to significant earthquakes," the mission's geoscience lead, Mark Simons, said in a statement on NASA's website. "We'll see land substance and swelling, movement, deformation and melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering both Greenland and Antarctica, and, of course, we'll see wildfires," added Karen St Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science division. She called NISAR "the most sophisticated radar we've ever built." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video NISAR is the world's first radar imaging satellite to use two radar frequencies. The so-called L-band radar is provided by NASA, and the S-band radar was developed by ISRO. These radars operate around the clock to capture Earth in extreme detail and can reportedly capture measurements regardless of weather conditions. The two radars will beam signals down to Earth. When these signals bounce back, the satellite will receive them via its huge antenna reflector. Scientists will then compare the incoming and outgoing signals as the satellite passes over the same location. "The potential applications from the satellite are huge, and the global scientific community is eagerly awaiting the satellite data," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said after the launch. "It is not going to be used by one or two countries. The entire globe is going to benefit from this great accomplishment," he said. NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails said the satellite "really shows the world what our two nations can do." The launch marks the biggest space collaboration between the United States and India. NASA contributed $1.2 billion for the low-frequency radar and reflector, while ISRO contributed $91 million for the higher-frequency radar and main satellite structure. India's space program has seen a boost in recent years. In 2014, it placed a probe in Mars orbit and, in 2023, it landed a rover on the Moon. Shubhanshu Shukla recently became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station.
DW
6 days ago
- DW
Prehistoric matriarchy in Turkey revealed by DNA analysis – DW – 07/29/2025
Genetic analysis of bodies from a 9,000-year-old settlement has revealed clues pointing to unusual societal structures. As far back as the 1960s, archaeologists had a feeling that Catalhoyuk was something special. And not just because the Neolithic settlement was one of the oldest continually inhabited places in the world. Researchers believed that women had an elevated societal position in Catalhoyuk, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site in contemporary Turkey. But that hunch was only based on figurines they had found and believed to represent Anatolian mother goddesses. Only with the methods of modern archaeology were researchers able to turn their feelings into fact: Society in the Catalhoyuk of 9,000 years ago was centered around women. An international research team led by geneticists from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara published their findings in the journal . The researchers came to their conclusion after examining 131 skeletons they had discovered buried right under houses the people of Catalhoyuk had inhabited. DNA analysis showed that people buried under the same house were often related — on their mother's side. In other words, when a man and a woman entered a partnership in the Neolithic settlement, they moved in with the family of the woman, not that of the man. Households were formed on a matrilineal basis. And there was another indication that women had a higher status than men: Archaeologists found as many as five times the grave goods buried with female bodies than with male ones. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In the more recent past, patrilineal households, where women move in with their male partner's family after marriage, were more common — and formed a patriarchy. So, does the reverse mean that the residents of Catalhoyuk, who lived from about 7100 to 6000 B.C.E., lived in a matriarchy? Not necessarily, said prehistoric archaeologist Eva Rosenstock, who took part in the excavation in Catalhoyuk and researches scientific and cultural archaeology. "Whether a society is matrilocal or patrilocal generally doesn't tell you anything about who has the power," Rosenstock told DW. "But those things often go hand in hand." Digging up, if you will, usable DNA for genetic analysis was not an easy feat for the researchers. Catalhoyuk was located in a region with a continental climate, with strong fluctuations between winter and summer. Under these conditions, even teeth, which were known until recently as one of the best source of DNA, do not keep forever. But there is a tiny part of the human body that has turned out to be the perfect source of DNA in adverse conditions such as those in the Catalhoyuk region: the petrous part of the temporal bone, located in the inner ear. "It's like a DNA safe!" said Rosenstock. It was through analyzing the material in this "DNA safe" that researchers discovered the matrilineal relationship between people buried under the same house. But not all people buried under the same house were related. The archaeologists assume that it wasn't out of the ordinary in Catalhoyuk society to switch children, so that your child would grow up in a different family close by. This was probably done in an effort to guarantee equal distribution of resources and, according to experts, points to society valuing the idea of equal rights for all. "If your own child grows up three doors down, you're probably not going to advocate for just your household to get the best of everything," said Rosenstock. But how did a society valuing equality and centered on women turn into the patriarchy that has dominated Central Europe in the more recent past? Rosenstock doesn't have an answer — at least not yet: "That's the next exciting question."
