by The US Space Administration NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a earth machine satellite on Wednesday. The satellite of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) is designed in such a way that it pursues even the smallest changes on the surface of the earth.
The goal of the mission of 1.3 billion US dollars (1.14 billion euros) is to understand, which leads to both artificial and natural disasters such as floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions.
Nisar started at 12:10 GMT from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on the southeast coast of India.
“Congratulations India!” The Indian Minister of Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, set on X as soon as the satellite surely reached the orbit.
The Indian space industry has grown in recent yearsPiemags/Imago
What is Nisar’s mission?
Now in the orbit around the Poles of the Earth, Nisar has 3 years ahead of him. While 747 kilometers (464 miles) are high, the observation of melting glaciers and polar ice sheets are among the satellite research goals. Nisar measures the earth’s surface twice every 12 days and observes shifts of only 1 centimeter (0.4 inches).
The satellite will not be able to predict the next earthquake, but “it will help us to understand which areas of the world are most susceptible to considerable earthquakes,” said Mark Simons in a statement on the NASA website.
“We will see land substances and swelling, movements, deformations and melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctic, and of course we will see forest fires,” added Karen St Germain, director of the Earth Science Division of NASA.
She called Nisar “the most sophisticated radar we have ever built”.
How does the satellite satellite work “first of its kind”?
Nisar is the world’s first Radar image satellite that uses two radar frequencies. The so-called L-band radar is provided by NASA and the S-Band radar was developed by Isro. These radars work around the clock to capture the earth in detail, and can report measurements regardless of the weather conditions.
The two radars shine signals on earth. If these signals collide back, the satellite welcomes you via its huge antenna reflector. Scientists then compare the incoming and outgoing signals when the satellite passes over the same place.
“The potential applications of the satellite are enormous, and the global scientific community is eagerly awaiting the satellite data,” said Isro Chairman V. Narayanan after the start.
“It is not used by one or two countries. The entire globe will benefit from this great performance,” he said.
The deputy deputy association administrator Casey Swails said the satellite “really shows the world what our two nations can do”.
The start is the greatest space cooperation between the USA and India. The NASA contributed $ 1.2 billion to the low frequency radar and the reflector, while ISRO contributed $ 91 million for the higher-frequency radar and main satellite structure.
The Indian space program has recorded a thrust in recent years. In 2014 it put a probe in the Mars orbit and in 2023 it landed a rover on the moon.
Shubhanshu Shucla was recently the first Indian to reach the international space station.
Published by: Sean Sinico
