New Delhi, July 30: Calling the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite a game changer in the precise management of natural disasters, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, on Wednesday.

NISAR, the first joint Earth observation mission between the ISRO and NASA, combining the expertise and synergies of both agencies, launched aboard the GSLV-F16 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 5.40 pm.

“Congratulations India! Successful launch of #GSLV-F16 carrying the world’s first dual-band radar satellite #NISAR…a game changer in precise management of disasters like cyclones, floods, etc,” Singh said in a post on social media platform X.

In about 19 minutes after lift-off, the GSLV-F16 rocket injected the NISAR satellite into a 743-km sun-synchronous orbit. It is the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle’s (GSLV) first launch into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

Weighing 2,392 kilograms, the satellite will scan the Earth’s landmass and ice-covered surfaces every 12 days with high-resolution imagery over a 242-kilometre swath, utilising SweepSAR technology for the first time.

“NISAR’s capacity to penetrate through fogs, dense clouds, ice layers, etc., makes it a pathbreaking enabler for the aviation and shipping sectors. The inputs from NISAR will benefit the entire world community…in the true spirit of 'Vishwabandhu’,” Singh said.

He also expressed pride in being “associated with the Department of Space at a time when ISRO is registering one global milestone after the other”.

NISAR would enable continuous monitoring of disturbances in the ecosystem and help assess natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. It will track subtle changes in the Earth’s crust and surface movement.

The satellite’s data will also be used for sea ice classification, ship detection, shoreline monitoring, storm tracking, crop mapping, and changes in soil moisture.

Anil Prakash, DG, SIA-India, hailed the NISAR mission and the collaboration between ISRO and NASA.

"The successful NASA-ISRO collaboration on the $1.5 billion NISAR mission marks a defining moment in global space diplomacy. It brings together cutting-edge American L-band SAR systems and India’s expertise in engineering, integration, and cost-effective launch capability via GSLV-F16,” Prakash said.

“ISRO’s contribution -- including the S-band radar, satellite bus, launch services, and mission operations -- once again demonstrates India’s ability to build and deliver complex systems with remarkable reliability. With a legacy of over 400 international satellite launches, ISRO has emerged not just as a collaborator, but as a co-architect of next-generation Earth science missions,” he added. (IANS)
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