The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission represents a landmark collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), scheduled for launch no earlier than late July 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

This first-of-its-kind, joint Earth-observing satellite project aims to provide a dynamic, three-dimensional view of almost all Earth's land and ice surfaces with an unprecedented level of detail and frequency.

At the technological core of NISAR are two advanced radar instruments: an S-band radar developed by ISRO and an L-band radar from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). These will operate in concert using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology to systematically scan the planet.

The dual-frequency approach enables the mission to measure various surface attributes—such as terrain roughness, moisture content, and ground motion—with sensitivity to features of multiple sizes. This system will capture high-resolution data across spatial scales ranging from 3 to 10 meters, depending on operational mode.

NISAR's revisit capability is remarkable, as it is designed to scan almost the entire globe every 12 days. This persistent surveillance enables the detection of both rapid and gradual changes on Earth—capturing ground movements down to the centimetre.

The mission will be crucial for:

Monitoring natural hazards including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and subsidence

Tracking slow geological and environmental shifts such as glacial retreat, deforestation, and river migration

Supporting disaster response by mapping affected areas even through cloud cover, making it particularly valuable during hurricanes, flooding, and other emergencies

The satellite's 13-meter diameter radar antenna will unfold in orbit, allowing for extensive swath coverage—about 240 km—enabling both local and global observations over its initial three-year mission duration.

NISAR’s continuous, cloud-penetrating, day-and-night imaging will provide scientists and policymakers critical data for climate studies, ecosystem and water resource management, and effective disaster mitigation.

Management and development responsibilities for this $1.5 billion mission are distributed across NASA and ISRO. NASA, specifically JPL, supplies the L-band radar, reflector antenna, and data systems, while ISRO provides the S-band radar and spacecraft bus.

Initial launch operations are led by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Satish Dhawan Space Centre, with mission operations supported by ISRO national infrastructure.

NISAR stands as a symbol not only of advancing Earth sciences but also of deepening U.S.-India space cooperation, combining scientific expertise and technical resources from both nations to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental and disaster-related challenges.

Agencies