Overview
- ISRO chairman V Narayanan said commissioning and data calibration are complete, with a Nov. 7 conclave to formally declare the satellite operational.
- The 2,400 kg spacecraft launched on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre aboard a GSLV and is described as the most expensive Earth observation satellite to date.
- NISAR is the first mission to fly both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radars, enabling measurements of land and ice motion, forest biomass, agriculture, and snow through cloud cover and darkness.
- The mission will monitor most of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days, with data described as “outstanding” and planned for global free access on that cadence.
- ISRO also outlined near-term human spaceflight and station milestones, targeting a Gaganyaan uncrewed flight in January and the first Bhartiya Antariksh Station module by 2028, with full operations by 2035.