NASA-ISRO NISAR Mission Launch Postponed Beyond February 2025, Here’s Why
The launch of the NASA-ISRO space mission NISAR has been delayed due to
orbital constraints. Instead of its targeted launch in 2024, the mission
has been pushed for a delayed launch some time beyond February 2025
Mumbai: In mission updates provided by the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) about the collaboration with the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO), the launch of the NASA-ISRO joint Synthetic
Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission has suffered a delay. The launch has been
pushed to sometime beyond February 2025 instead of the previously targeted
2024 due to orbital constraints. As per the official mission site, when
launched, NISAR would be "the first satellite mission to use two different
radar frequencies (L-band and S-band) to measure changes in our planet's
surface less than a centimetre across".
NASA and ISRO signed the collaboration back in 2014, and the NISAR mission was
targeted to launch this year in 2024. While NASA was to provide the L-band
synthetic aperture radar, GPS receivers and a solid-state recorder and payload
data sub-system for the mission, ISRO's contribution was to provide the the
S-band radar, the spacecraft bus and launch vehicle as well as the associated
launching services.
The primary reason cited for the delay of the NASA-ISRO NISAR Mission are
orbital constraints and the ongoing work on the spacecraft's antenna.
Addressing the concerns about temperature fluctuations due to alternating
sunlight and shadows that might potentially affect NISAR's boom and radar
antenna reflector are crucial before the launch. The antenna is currently
under construction in California, USA. Its further tempering would be done in
India later by ISRO. The satellite will be reintegrated with the radar system
at ISRO’s Bangalore facility after all tests are conducted.
NISAR, a joint mission between #NASA🤝🏻#ISRO.
— ISRO InSight (@ISROSight) January 9, 2024
Here's a detailed video about the mission's objectives.
The launch can be expected in the coming months🚀 pic.twitter.com/NbQTofdpSg
Mission Objectives of NISAR
This joint mission of NASA and ISRO will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems,
dynamic surfaces with ice masses providing information about the planet's
biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise and groundwater levels. NISAR will
observe Earth’s lithosphere and cryosphere with a 12-day regularity on
ascending and descending passes as well as sample Earth on average every six
days for a baseline three-year mission. Signs of Life Found on Mars? NASA Mars
InSight Lander Discovers Underground Reservoir of Liquid Water on Red Planet.
The NISAR mission will provide critical data required to study environmental
changes and natural hazards, which will further the knowledge required to
mitigate the harmful consequences of climate change and make disaster
management more resilient.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
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