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4w ago

NISAR Satellite Begins Deployment Phase After Successful Launch into Near-Polar Orbit

Teams have begun extending its nine-meter radar arm, with a 12-meter gold-coated reflector unfolding during a one-week deployment phase prior to formal data collection in late October.

En la imagen, proporcionada por la NASA, se observa un satélite de mapeo Terrestre, la primera misión en colaboración entre la agencia y la Organización de Investigación Espacial de India, en su lanzamiento desde ese país, el 30 de julio de 2025. (NASA vía AP)
La nave espacial orbitará la Tierra 14 veces al día, escaneando casi toda la superficie terrestre y helada del planeta dos veces cada 12 días.
NISAR ya está en órbita: el satélite de India y la NASA vigilará la Tierra.
Image

Overview

  • NISAR entered a 747-kilometer near-polar orbit on July 30 and is now undergoing mechanical deployment of its radar systems.
  • The mission team will spend about one week extending a nine-meter boom and unfurling a 12-meter gold-coated reflector to support its dual-frequency radar payload.
  • Its L-band sensor with a 25-centimeter wavelength and an S-band sensor with a 10-centimeter wavelength will enable surface monitoring through clouds, rain and vegetation.
  • During each 12-day cycle the satellite will orbit Earth 14 times daily, rerunning its scans to detect surface changes at centimeter-scale resolution.
  • After final calibrations, NISAR will begin scientific operations in late October to deliver data on infrastructure, agriculture and hazards like landslides and ice-sheet shifts to scientists and first responders.