NISAR: Unleashing the power of dual vision – A collaborative odyssey of NASA and ISRO

financialexpress.com:

In a groundbreaking endeavor, the NISAR satellite is taking shape in Bengaluru, India, as NASA and ISRO combine their expertise to create a powerful spacecraft. Scheduled for launch in early 2024, the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission aims to revolutionize our understanding of Earth’s land and ice surfaces with unparalleled precision. By monitoring every corner of our planet at least once every 12 days, NISAR will unlock insights into dynamic ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands.

An Epic Convergence: NISAR’s Fusion Unveiled Within an ISRO clean room, the NISAR satellite’s radar instrument payload and spacecraft bus merge, symbolizing a union of cutting-edge technology. Encased in gold-colored thermal blanketing, the payload showcases its cylindrical form, harboring two radar systems. The S-band radar will provide crucial insights into crop structure and land/ice roughness, while the L-band instrument delves into dense forest canopies to study the intricate trunks of trees. With wavelengths measuring approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) and 10 inches (25 centimeters) for S-band and L-band respectively, these sensors possess the extraordinary ability to gather data day and night, transcending clouds that hinder other observations.

A Journey of Collaboration and Innovation The payload’s extraordinary voyage has been nothing short of remarkable. First, the S-band radar, created at the Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad, India, embarked on a voyage to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. There, alongside the L-band radar developed by JPL engineers, the two systems were integrated into the payload’s sturdy framework. Following this pivotal moment, the