After long delays, India’s NISAR mission with NASA could finally lift off this June. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan shared the update during a meeting with Science Minister Jitendra Singh.
NISAR stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar. It’s a powerful Earth observation satellite that will track small geographical changes in Earth.
From glacier melt to forest loss and volcanic shifts to earthquake zones, NISAR will offer critical insights into Earth’s dynamic changes and help scientists monitor climate change in real time.
Though first planned for 2023, NISAR’s launch was delayed due to issues with its 12-metre antenna. It had to be shipped back to the US from Bengaluru for upgrades and improvements.
Before NISAR, ISRO will launch two big missions: the Earth observation satellite, EOS-09, and a test flight (TV-D2) for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
Also in May, Indian Air Force officer Shubhanshu Shukla will fly to the International Space Station on Axiom-4. He’ll become only the second Indian to travel into space after Rakesh Sharma.
Once launched, NISAR will become the most detailed Earth monitoring satellite, capturing daily changes across continents, bringing India and the US to the frontline of climate science.