NASA and ISRO’s NISAR Satellite: Transforming Climate Monitoring
NASA and ISRO launch NISAR, a revolutionary radar satellite to monitor Earth's land and ice surfaces and advance climate research.
In a landmark achievement for international collaboration and environmental science, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have launched the NISAR satellite. Designed to revolutionize our understanding of climate change, natural disasters, and Earth’s dynamic landscapes, NISAR’s high-resolution radar instruments promise to deliver an unparalleled stream of data for scientists, policymakers, and first responders around the globe.
What Is NISAR?
NISAR stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar. It is a cutting-edge Earth observation satellite equipped with two complementary radar systems—L-band and S-band—developed by NASA and ISRO respectively. Launched from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, NISAR now orbits 464 miles (747 kilometers) above Earth and will continuously monitor the planet’s land and ice surfaces, producing data at a detail and timescale never before available.
Main Objectives and Capabilities of NISAR
- Global land and ice monitoring: Tracks subtle vertical and horizontal shifts on Earth’s surface as small as one centimeter.
- Twice-monthly revisit cycle: Scans almost the entire planet every 12 days, capturing key changes in forests, wetlands, permafrost, urban landscapes, and glaciers.
- Operational day and night, in all weather conditions: Synthetic aperture radar can penetrate clouds, forest canopies, and darkness, collecting consistent, reliable data worldwide.
- Supporting disaster response: Provides timely, high-resolution snapshots of earthquakes, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters in progress.
- Detecting long-term climate and ecosystem change: Monitors trends in soil moisture, forest biomass, glacier movement, and more.
NISAR’s Advanced Technology
The NISAR satellite is the largest NASA-ISRO partnership to date, with a cost of approximately $1.2 billion. Its most notable feature is a circular, unfolding 12-meter-wide radar antenna capable of using two wavelengths—L-band (provided by NASA) and S-band (by ISRO). These wavelengths allow NISAR to monitor a diverse range of environments, including dense forests, thawing permafrost, shifting glaciers, and saturated wetlands.
| Radar Type | Provider | Wavelength | Main Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-band | NASA | 10 inches (25 cm) | Penetrates forest canopies, measures soil moisture, detects surface deformation, monitors ice |
| S-band | ISRO | 4 inches (10 cm) | Highly sensitive to small-scale vegetation, ideal for measuring crop lands and grasslands |
Using these technologies, NISAR will provide new insights into both sudden and gradual phenomena—helping communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters, while advancing research on climate-driven changes.
Why Earth Observation Matters More Than Ever
Satellites like NISAR are becoming indispensable as human activity drives unprecedented transformations in Earth’s systems. Massive wildfires, record-high global temperatures, melting glaciers, and urbanization call for real-time, precise information about our environment. Without this data, it is impossible to make informed decisions that protect people and ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.
- Disaster preparedness: High-temporal-resolution data can identify risks and track changes before, during, and after catastrophes, such as earthquakes, landslides, and flooding.
- Climate science: Detailed surface observations help researchers understand carbon cycles, monitor the state of permafrost and wetlands, and assess vulnerability to climate impacts.
- Biodiversity and ecosystem health: Persistent monitoring guides conservation efforts, identifies illegal land use or deforestation, and ensures sustainable management of natural resources.
- International collaboration: NISAR exemplifies the power of cross-border scientific partnerships to pool resources and expertise for the greater global good.
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NISAR’s Launch: International Achievement
NISAR’s development began in the early 2010s, driven by parallel ambitions from NASA and ISRO to fly a major radar mission. After a decade of design and engineering, the satellite successfully launched atop India’s GSLV rocket, marking its first mission to a Sun-synchronous polar orbit.
V. Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, highlighted the importance of this milestone: “With this successful launch, we are at the threshold of fulfilling the immense scientific potential NASA and ISRO envisioned for the NISAR mission more than 10 years ago… This radar mission will help us study Earth’s dynamic land and ice surfaces in greater detail than ever before.”
NISAR’s Data Utility: From Science to Disaster Relief
NISAR will not only serve the scientific community, but also provide operational information to government agencies, farmers, and emergency managers worldwide. Its unique revisit capability and radar precision make it ideal for tracking changes across a diverse range of applications.
- Disaster Response: Rapid data delivery can pinpoint areas devastated by earthquakes or floods and help emergency responders allocate resources efficiently.
- Urban Planning: Tracks subsidence in cities and critical infrastructure, informing construction safety and resilience.
- Glacier and Permafrost Monitoring: Detects movements and melt patterns crucial to anticipating sea level rise.
- Agricultural Monitoring: Measures soil moisture and identifies crop stress—valuable for ensuring food security in the face of droughts or floods.
- Climate Modeling: Supplies high-resolution data needed to improve the accuracy of simulations and forecasts.
How NISAR Differs From Other Earth Satellites
Unlike most Earth observation satellites, which may visit a location every several weeks and rely on optical imaging, NISAR provides near-constant coverage and utilizes radar systems. This means it operates regardless of weather conditions or daylight, avoiding the limitations that often hamper traditional satellite data collection. The radar can capture changes obscured by clouds or darkness—vital for monitoring regions such as the Arctic or the tropics during rainy seasons.
Features Comparison: NISAR vs. Traditional Observation Satellites
| Feature | NISAR | Optical Satellites |
|---|---|---|
| Can observe through clouds and at night | Yes | No |
| Frequency of observation | Twice every 12 days | Every few weeks (typically) |
| Sensitivity to soil moisture/vegetation | Very High | Moderate to high (limited by weather and light) |
| Surface deformation detection | To within centimeters | Usually less precise |
Political and Scientific Context: A Satellite Under Threat?
Despite NISAR’s successful launch and extraordinary promise, its debut comes amid budget uncertainties. The U.S. administration has proposed steep cuts to NASA’s Earth-science budget, threatening the continuation of current and planned missions after NISAR. Some experts warn this could set back climate research by decades. Dylan Millet, a leading atmospheric chemist, commented, “This is the size of cut that would fundamentally gut our capacity to improve understanding of the changing planet.”
Past and current missions, such as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2 and OCO-3), have already demonstrated the value satellites bring by capturing the world’s most detailed carbon dioxide data, informing both policy and global climate agreements.
Looking Ahead: The Last of Its Kind?
While NISAR is set to provide data for at least three years, there are concerns it could be the last major flagship satellite for Earth science in the near future. Scientific advocates fear that proposed budget cuts could mean the abrupt end of several Earth observation programs, seriously diminishing our ability to monitor climate change and environmental threats. As policy debates continue, the scientific community hopes the profound utility of data from NISAR—and satellites like it—will inspire ongoing investment in Earth observation infrastructure.
The Early Results: First Images and Anticipated Breakthroughs
Within weeks of reaching orbit, NISAR transmitted its first radar images of Earth’s surface, hinting at the level of detail and insight it will soon deliver on a global scale. The L-band radar demonstrated its power by penetrating forest canopies, revealing soil moisture levels, and capturing subtle glacier shifts, while S-band radar provided sharp contrasts across vegetation and agricultural zones.
- Soil moisture tracking across continents
- Real-time glacier and ice sheet monitoring in the polar regions
- Land deformation analysis to inform early warning of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions
- Forest health assessments for tracking carbon cycles
Scientists expect NISAR data to be made available to the global community within 90 days of launch, and the mission team is preparing for a suite of breakthroughs in Earth science.
Conclusion: A New Era for Earth Observation and Climate Science
NISAR sets a new benchmark for Earth observation, combining radar precision, speed, and global reach. Its contributions will support everything from climate change research to disaster mitigation, agriculture, and infrastructure management. In a period marked by uncertainty about the future funding of climate science, NISAR’s success is a call to recognize the value—and necessity—of planetary observation from space.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What makes NISAR unique among Earth observation satellites?
A: NISAR employs both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar, allowing it to observe the planet’s surface in all weather conditions and through vegetation, providing highly detailed, consistent data twice every 12 days.
Q: How will NISAR data be used for disaster response?
A: NISAR will quickly deliver imagery pinpointing areas affected by disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides, enabling first responders and governments to better allocate emergency resources and aid.
Q: Who can access NISAR data and when will it be available?
A: The mission aims to freely distribute most of its data to researchers and the general public, with science-quality data expected to be released within 90 days of launch.
Q: What are the main scientific goals of NISAR?
A: NISAR is designed to study earthquake and volcano risk, glacier and ice sheet flow, forest and ecosystem change, and agricultural trends, all contributing to a better understanding of global environmental processes.
Q: How long is the NISAR mission expected to last?
A: It is slated for a minimum three-year mission, but may operate longer depending on hardware performance and funding continuation.
References
- https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-isro-satellite-lifts-off-to-track-earths-changing-surfaces/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02402-3
- https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-isro-satellite-sends-first-radar-images-of-earths-surface/
- https://www.clearbluemarkets.com/knowledge-base/trump-administrations-budget-threatens-nasa-climate-and-carbon-monitoring-satellites
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08092025/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellites-trump/
- https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-isro-satellite-sends-first-radar-images-of-earths-surface/
- https://eos.org/research-and-developments/nasa-planning-for-unauthorized-shutdown-of-carbon-monitoring-satellites
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