US-India NISAR mission passes all systems checks
The recently launched NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite has completed checkouts of its systems, including the dual radar payloads. The satellite has started ascending to its target regime.
New Delhi: The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, launched by the GSLV-F16 flight on 30 July has passed all checks to ensure that the systems on board are functioning nominally, and has started rising to its operational orbit at an altitude of 747 km to begin observations. The 12 metre-long radar reflector antenna as well as the nine metre-long boom with three hinges have all deployed successfully in Earth orbit. These along with the launch vehicle were the only single points of failures on the mission, with everything else designed to degrade gracefully.
The mission team expects to commence gathering science-quality data images over the next few weeks, with full science operations scheduled to commence around the end of the month. NISAR is the first satellite to carry two SAR payloads, an L-band radar by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and an S-band radar from ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. While NASA made the radar antenna reflector and the boom, ISRO realised the spacecraft bus, solar panels, and provided the launch vehicle. This is the first collaboration of its kind between ISRO and NASA.
NISAR to monitor health of the planet
NISAR is a unique instrument that will be capable of monitoring the health of the planet. It can track tiny deformations on the ground, allowing scientists to measure the speeds of glaciers, the extent of ground water levels, landslides, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The instrument is also capable of peering through clouds and forest cover, allowing scientists to determine the health of forests and wetlands. The satellite will be able to monitor most of the Earth's surface and cryosphere every 12 days, and produce unprecedented timelapse videos.