New Delhi: The highly anticipated joint satellite mission between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA, named the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), is set to launch in March 2025, according to Union Minister Jitendra Singh. This update was provided in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha.
Initially planned for an early 2023 launch, NISAR faced delays due to technical issues identified by NASA scientists, particularly with the satellite’s 12-meter radar antenna reflector. This vital component had to be repaired and sent to the United States for servicing. Following the repairs, the reflector was returned to India in October 2023 and is currently being reassembled with the satellite, undergoing extensive testing.
Minister Singh highlighted additional challenges affecting the satellite’s deployment, including the current ‘eclipse season,’ which presents unfavourable conditions for deploying NISAR’s boom and radar antenna reflector. These environmental and technical hurdles have necessitated the postponement of the launch to March 2025.
NISAR is set to be a significant milestone in the collaboration between ISRO and NASA, aiming to provide critical data for comprehending Earth’s ecosystems, climate change, and natural disasters through advanced radar imaging technology. The satellite’s precise observations of Earth’s surface will offer invaluable insights into environmental shifts, resource management, and disaster response.
The postponement underscores the stringent standards upheld for such pivotal projects. Once operational, NISAR is expected to transform the capabilities of Earth observation, further strengthening the partnership between ISRO and NASA.
