At precisely 2:10 p.m. IST on Tuesday, the final launch sequence began for one of the most advanced Earth observation satellites ever built — NISAR, weighing 2,392 kg. It was launched into a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 743 km above Earth, 19 minutes post liftoff.
India’s GSLV Mk II rocket, standing 52 meters tall and operating with solid, liquid, and cryogenic fuel stages, carried NISAR — the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite. The GSLV-F16 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota at 5:40 p.m., marking the 102nd launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and the 18th GSLV flight.
The NISAR satellite will orbit the globe every 12 days, capturing detailed, aqll-weather, day-and-night radar data. It’s equipped with dual-frequency radar systems — NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band — to monitor Earth’s surface changes, natural hazards, agriculture, and climate patterns.
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan credited the precision orbit insertion to the strong collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ISRO teams. Union Minister Jitendra Singh called NISAR a symbol of India’s role as a “Vishwa Bandhu,” contributing globally through science.
Experts hailed the mission as one of the costliest and most impactful Earth studies ever. Professor R.C. Kapoor emphasized its value to scientists, policymakers, and emergency managers due to the large volumes of high-resolution data it will produce daily.
With successful deployment and global data access, NISAR marks a milestone in Indo-US space cooperation and scientific progress.