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| NISAR Satellite |
In a significant collaboration, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) have joined forces to develop the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite. Launching in early 2024, this advanced satellite aims to revolutionize our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes and their impact on our planet.
With components built on opposite sides of the globe, the NISAR satellite is a major milestone in international space cooperation. Its primary objective is to track and observe Earth's land and ice surfaces with unprecedented precision. By collecting valuable data on climate change, deforestation, melting glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes and more, NISAR will provide scientists with important insights into these phenomena.
The NISAR satellite's cylindrical radar instrument payload, about the size of an SUV, consists of two radar systems: S-band and L-band. The S-band radar specializes in monitoring crop structure, land roughness and snow surfaces. Meanwhile, the L-band instrument can penetrate dense forest canopies, allowing it to study tree trunks and other important elements. Notably, both radar systems can operate day and night, as well as penetrate cloud cover, ensuring continuous data collection.
The journey to assemble the NISAR satellites was a complex and coordinated effort. The S-band radar was built at the Space Applications Center in Ahmedabad, India, and was transported to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California in March 2021. At JPL, engineers worked with ISRO to develop the L-band radar. The two radar systems were integrated into the payload frame before being transported to the UR Rao Satellite Center (URSC) in Bengaluru, India in March 2023.
At URSC, engineers and technicians collaborated with JPL teams to develop the spacecraft bus, the core of the satellite. Covered in protective blue blanketing, the bus includes components and systems from both ISRO and JPL, providing power, navigation, pointing control and communication capabilities necessary for mission success.
Recently, the radar instrument payload and bus were assembled in a URSC clean room, and extensive cabling is underway. Final steps include attaching the satellite's solar panels and a 30-foot (9-meter) boom, which will reveal a 40-foot (12-meter) wire-mesh reflector. This reflector will be the largest radar antenna of its kind ever launched in space.
The NISAR satellite is currently undergoing rigorous performance testing, followed by comprehensive environmental testing to ensure that it can withstand the exacting conditions of launch and meet its operational requirements in orbit. Once the test is completed, the satellite will be taken to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, where it will be integrated into its launch fairing and mounted on ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) Mark-II rocket for its journey into low Earth orbit.
The collaborative effort between NASA and ISRO is an important milestone, as it is the first time that both organizations have jointly developed hardware for an Earth-observing mission. NASA's JPL plays a leading role by providing L-band SAR, radar reflector antennas, deployable booms, communications subsystems, GPS receivers, solid-state recorders, and payload data subsystems. URSC leads the ISRO component, which is responsible for spacecraft bus, S-band SAR electronics, launch vehicle, launch services and satellite mission operations.
As we await the launch of the NISAR satellite, the world looks forward to a new era of Earth observation that will advance our understanding of our planet's complex systems, support global efforts to address environmental challenges and maintain the health of our home, Earth.
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