The NISAR satellite, a joint mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is expected to launch in 2024

Chennai: The NASA-ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR), a joint Earth-observing mission, is one of the biggest project being collaborated with between the US Space Agency the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

NISAR will be launched in early 2024 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR Range in Sriharikota, into a near-polar orbit at an altitude of 747 km with an inclination of 98.4 deg.

ISRO will be using its heaviest home grown rocket GSLV MK-III / LVM-3 for the mission which will take place from the Second Launch Pad, according to information collected from the NASA website on the NISAR mission.

The NISAR Mission will measure Earth's changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater and will support a host of other applications.

NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every 6 days for a baseline 3-year mission.

NISAR will map global land biomass, the amount of organic material from plants, every 12 days.


The scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is photographed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.


Visitors view the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.


Engineers and technicians work on the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.


S Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), speaks during a send-off ceremony for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.


Joined by officials and delegates, CV Shrikant, centre, a project director of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, performs a coconut breaking tradition for a blessing during a send-off ceremony at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.


Officials and delegates gather next to the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.


Officials and delegates look at the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.


Engineers and technicians work on the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


Engineers and technicians work on the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


Engineers and technicians work on the scientific core of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.