Earth Observation NISAR Satellite To Be Launched on Jul 30: ISRO Chairman
It will observe earth with a swath of 242 km and high spatial resolution, using SweepSAR technology for the first time, according to the space agency.
Nellore:The stage set for the much-anticipated launch of the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite at 5.40 pm on Wednesday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
The satellite will be launched into a sun-synchronous orbit 743 km above the Earth.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is being used for the first time to launch a satellite into the Sun-synchronous orbit.
The countdown lasting 27 hours and 30 minutes is expected to commence at 2.10 pm on Tuesday. Officials on Monday reviewed the mission readiness and the final approval is awaited from the launch authorisation board.
Notably, a GSLV rocket is being used to place a satellite in sun-synchronous polar orbit, signalling Isro’s growing technical sophistication in supporting diverse space missions. The dual radar payload aboard Nisar will employ SweepSAR technology for high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging of the Earth’s surface with a wide swath of 242 kilometres.
- According to Nasa, Nisar is the first satellite to collect data in two microwave bandwidth regions, called the L-band and the S-band, to measure changes of the Earth's surface.
- This will allow the satellite mission to observe a wide range of Earth processes, from the flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets to the dynamics of earthquakes and volcanoes.
- The synthetic aperture radar is being used to produce high-resolution images. The SAR penetrates clouds and forests
- The instrument's imaging swathe - the width of the strip for which data is collected — is greater than 240 km. This allows the satellite to image the entire Earth once in 12 days.
- Over multiple orbits, the radar images will allow users to track changes in croplands and hazard sites, as well as to monitor ongoing crises such as volcanic eruptions.
- Many disasters are preceded by subtle ground deformations. By detecting early signals, Nisar will enhance the ability to monitor and understand hazards like earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity.
- With global reach and rapid revisit times, data from Nisar is expected to revolutionise disaster response by providing timely pre- and post-event observations to aid in damage assessment and mitigation efforts.
