NASA-ISRO (NISAR)

 WHAT IS NISSAR?

NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO typically falls between 160 km & 200 km above the earth's surface ) observatory developed by NASA and ISRO. 

NISAR will map the globe in 12 days and provide spatially and temporally consistent data for understanding variation in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, groundwater, and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.

In short Jet propulsion laboratories and ISRO have realized that a satellite not only meets the national needs (defense, weather forecast, etc)  but also provides the science community with data encouraging studies related to surface deformation measurements is very needed. 

HERE'S SOME TECHY PART:

-It carries L and S dual band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which uses the Sweep SAR technique to achieve large patches with high-resolution data.

-The SAR payloads mounted on the Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS ) and the spacecraft bus are together called an observatory.

WHO CONTRIBUTED WHAT? 

-NASA is responsible for providing the L-Band SAR payload system in which the ISRO supplied S-Band SAR payload. Both SAR systems will use a large size (about 12m diameter) common unfurl-able reflector antenna. 

-NASA would provide engineering payloads for the mission, including a Payload Data Subsystem, a High-rate Science Downlink System, GPS receivers, and a Solid State Recorder.

 

WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT NISSAR? 👀

-This would be the first dual-frequency radar imaging mission in L-Band & S-Band using an advanced Sweep SAR technique to provide L & S band space-borne SAR data with high repeat cycle, high resolution, and larger swath, with the capability of full-polar metric and interferometric modes of operation.

- Earth change in three disciplines: ecosystems (vegetation and the carbon cycle), deformation (solid Earth studies), and cryosphere sciences (primarily as related to climatic drivers and effects on sea level NISAR will acquire data over the Indian Coasts and monitor annual changes.

"A perfect blend of two cultures and a creation by two sets of craftsmen is what NISAR is."

MISSION PHASE

1. Launch Phase -The NISAR Observatory will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre(SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota on the southeast coast of the Indian peninsula, on the GSLV expendable launch vehicle contributed by ISRO.

2. Commissioning Phase - The first 90 days after launch will be dedicated to commissioning, or in-orbit checkout (IOC), the objective of which is to prepare the observatory for science operations. Commissioning is divided into sub-phases of initial checkout (ISRO engineering systems and JPL engineering payload checkout), spacecraft checkout, and instrument checkout.

3. Science Operation Phase - The science operations phase begins at the end of commissioning and extends for three years and contains all data collection required to achieve the L1 science objectives. During this phase, the science orbit will be maintained via regular maneuvers, scheduled to avoid or minimize conflicts with science observations.

Some pictures of the hard work of our ISRO scientists :