NISAR Mission
7/30/2025
NISAR was launched on July 30 under President Trump in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre provided the launch vehicle for NISAR, while the Satish Dhawan Space Centre handled the launch services.
NISAR will monitor Earth's land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, utilizing a 39-foot (12-meter) wide drum-shaped antenna reflector.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the Near Space Network, which receives NISAR's L-band data.
The L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system on NISAR can resolve objects as small as 15 feet (5 meters).
The mission team is preparing NISAR to deliver vital Earth data to scientists, governments, and decision-makers worldwide.
NISAR's first L-band synthetic aperture radar images were released in August and captured views of Mount Desert Island in Maine and agricultural regions of North Dakota.
NISAR was launched by ISRO on July 30.
The precision of NISAR's L-band radar is vital for tracking earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, and seasonal crop growth.
NISAR has a 12-meter drum-shaped antenna reflector, the largest ever launched by NASA.
NISAR will begin global science mapping in November, observing Earth's land and ice surfaces every 12 days.
NISAR is designed to provide insights into natural hazards, agriculture, and climate change.
NISAR's images distinctly show waterways, forests, farmland, and human structures, demonstrating its ability to differentiate between land cover types.
NISAR has released preliminary radar images that demonstrate its ability to distinguish between different land cover.
NISAR is the first satellite to carry both L-band and S-band radar systems simultaneously.
ISRO's Space Applications Centre supplied the complementary S-band radar for NISAR, which detects small vegetation and is ideal for monitoring crops and grasslands.
NISAR was launched in July.
The images captured by NISAR show the island of Mount Desert off the coast of Maine.
NISAR will collect data on land and ice surfaces every 12 days.
NISAR's first images provide detailed scanning of Earth's surface.