Countdown begins for NISAR satellite tv for pc launch

The countdown for the NISAR satellite tv for pc mission began at 2.10 p.m. on Tuesday (July 29, 2025). The Geosynchronous Satellite tv for pc Launch Automobile (GSLV) with the two,392-kg satellite tv for pc is scheduled to carry off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Area Centre in Sriharikota at 5.40 p.m. on Wednesday (July 30, 2025).

About 19 minutes after lift-off, the GSLV-F16 rocket will inject the NISAR satellite tv for pc right into a 743-km sun-synchronous orbit. The NISAR satellite tv for pc – NASA-ISRO Artificial Aperture Radar satellite tv for pc – will scan the Earth and supply all-weather, day-and-night information at 12-day intervals, and allow a variety of functions.

It’s the first joint satellite tv for pc of the Indian Area Analysis Organisation (ISRO) and Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (NASA).

Senior NASA officers stated that working with the ISRO on the mission has strengthened their relationship.

The Director of Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, Karen St. Germain stated, “Constructing a satellite tv for pc on reverse sides of the world throughout a worldwide pandemic was actually arduous, but it surely strengthened our relationship with ISRO. The collaboration, the cooperation, data sharing, and, frankly, joint studying between our two companies is a basis that we stay up for persevering with to construct upon.”

She added that NISAR is a mannequin for the following technology of Earth commentary functionality.

“India constructed the spacecraft bus and the S-band radar and is offering the launch car, launch companies, and satellite tv for pc mission operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) constructed the L-band radar and the mission’s radar reflector and growth. NASA can also be offering a high-rated communications subsystem for science information, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and the payload information subsystem,” she added.

Phil Barela, NISAR challenge supervisor, JPL, stated that the 2 house companies learnt rather a lot from one another within the final decade.

“Now we have been at this for over a decade with our companion, ISRO, and it has been an exceptional journey. The quantity that we now have realized from one another throughout this era has simply been phenomenal,” Mr. Barela stated.

He added that in the course of the top of COVID-19 pandemic, round 65 ISRO engineers visited JPL to work on the mixing and conduct assessments.

“Over the past two-and-a-half years, NASA has despatched out over 175 engineers to ISRO’s amenities to maintain the mixing and assessments going and get us prepared for the place we stand at present and prepared for launch. It has been an exquisite journey. I’m anticipating a number of very glad individuals, not solely within the U.S., but additionally in India,” he added.