NISAR Launch: First Joint Satellite of NASA and ISRO

• NISAR, the first joint satellite of NASA and ISRO, is set to launch on July 30.

• The GSLV-F16 rocket will inject the satellite into a 743 km sun-synchronous orbit.

• The satellite, weighing 2,392 kg, is a unique earth observation satellite, first to observe the earth with dual frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar.

• It will observe earth with a swathe of 242 km and high spatial resolution, using SweepSAR technology for the first time.

• NISAR can detect small changes in the earth’s surface, such as ground deformation, ice sheet movement, and vegetation dynamics.

• The launch is a result of strong technical cooperation between ISRO and the U.S. space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.