ISRO’s Earth-observing satellite ‘NISAR’ to lift off today from Sriharikota

BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), a sophisticated Earth observation satellite developed in collaboration with the American space agency NASA, from Sriharikota on Wednesday.

The launch will be held from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh today at 17:40 IST. The mission has seen a long gestation period of over a decade and a joint investment exceeding $1.5 billion.

The NISAR will be launched into orbit onboard Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F16. Usually, PSLV is utilised for such an orbit and this is the first time that a GSLV rocket is injecting a satellite into a Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit.

The NISAR satellite weighs 2,392 kg and will be placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit. It will orbit the Earth once every 97 minutes and send images of Earth’s land and ice surfaces, as well as specific portions of the ocean’s surface, every 12 days. The mission life of the satellite is expected to last five years.

GSLV-F16/NISAR
Today’s the day!
Launch Day has arrived for GSLV-F16 & NISAR. GSLV-F16 is standing tall on the pad. NISAR is ready. Liftoff today.

July 30, 2025
Live from: 17:10 Hours IST
Liftoff at : 17:40 Hours IST

Livestreaming Link: https://t.co/flWew2LhgQ

For more… pic.twitter.com/bIjVJTZyMv

— ISRO (@isro) July 30, 2025

“Launch Day has arrived for GSLV-F16 & NISAR. GSLV-F16 is standing tall on the pad. NISAR is ready. Liftoff today”, ISRO said in a post on X. Union Minister Jitendra Singh has described the mission as not just a satellite but India’s “scientific handshake with the world.”

The unique dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar of NISAR employs advanced, novel SweepSAR technique, which provides high resolution and large swath imagery. NISAR will image the global land and ice-covered surfaces, including islands, sea-ice and selected oceans every 12 days, ISRO said.

NISAR mission’s primary objectives are to study land & ice deformation, land ecosystems, and oceanic regions in areas of common interest to the US and Indian science communities. The first 90 days after launch will be dedicated to commissioning, or In-Orbit Checkout (IOC), the objective of which is to prepare the observatory for science operations, ISRO said.

LIVE: NISAR, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, July 30.

Get the latest updates on the Earth-observing satellite—and share your questions with #AskNISAR: https://t.co/QfV7rlkqYf pic.twitter.com/wOJ8kFl5tI

— NASA (@NASA) July 28, 2025

Briefing media persons on July 27, Union Minister for Science and Technology the event marks a defining moment in the journey of Indo-US space cooperation as also in ISRO’s overall international collaborations.

“It will allow continuous monitoring of ecosystem disturbances and help assess natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. It will track even subtle changes in the Earth’s crust and surface movement. Importantly, the satellite’s data will also be used for sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm tracking, crop mapping, and changes in soil moisture–all of which are vital for governments, researchers, and disaster management agencies”, he said.

The launch reflects the maturing of strategic scientific partnerships and India’s emergence as a credible global player in advanced Earth observation systems, he further said.

“This mission is not just about a satellite launch — it is a moment that symbolises what two democracies committed to science and global welfare can achieve together. NISAR will not only serve India and the United States but will also provide critical data for countries around the world, especially in areas like disaster management, agriculture, and climate monitoring,” Singh said.

The first of its kind mission will carry two different frequencies — an L and S-band. The global microwave imaging mission can acquire fully polarimetric and interferometric data. A key feature of the mission is that all data generated by NISAR will be open source and made freely accessible within one to two days of observation, and in near real-time in case of emergencies.

This democratisation of data is expected to support global scientific research and decision-making, especially for developing countries that may not have access to similar capabilities. (ANI)