NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)

Jointly developed by NASA and ISRO under a partnership agreement signed in 2014, NISAR is an Earth observation satellite that is expected to be launched in 2024.

The satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual frequency imaging radar satellite.

NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high capacity solid state recorder to store data and a payload data subsystem, ISRO has provided the S-band, the GSLV launch system (LVM2) and the spacecraft.

Once launched into space, NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces.

It will spot warning signs of natural disasters and also measure groundwater levels, track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets and monitor the planet’s forest and agricultural regions.

The satellite will operate for a minimum of 3 years.