The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) mission will lift off on Wednesday. This joint Earth-observing satellite is a powerful testament to international cooperation in science and technology.

About the NISAR Mission

• NISAR is an Earth observation satellite designed to track minute changes on the Earth’s surface. It will complete a full orbit of the world every 12 days, detecting surface-level changes down to the centimetre.
• Components: The satellite is equipped with two radars: an L-band radar provided by NASA and an S-band radar supplied by ISRO.
• Launch Vehicle: The satellite will be launched using ISRO’s GSLV rocket.
• Scale: This is a robust satellite, with its observatory weighing 2800 kg. The mission is substantial, valued at approximately 1.5 billion USD (around 13,000 crore INR).
• Data Accessibility: Crucially, the data generated by the NISAR mission will be open source, making it accessible for use by scientists, farmers, and policymakers worldwide.

Collaboration of NISAR

• NASA’s Initial Plan: NASA initially conceived this mission as “DESDynI” with the aim of monitoring environmental changes and hazards. However, NASA found the mission too expensive and challenging to undertake alone.
• ISRO’s Involvement: ISRO subsequently partnered with NASA, proposing a joint venture that would mutually benefit both agencies and global communities.
• Shared Contributions:
  • NASA contributed the L-band radar and the deployable mesh reflector.
  • ISRO provided the S-band radar, the satellite bus, and the GSLV rocket.
• Outcomes of Collaboration: This partnership resulted in shared costs, doubled capabilities, and a significantly strengthened mission. The agreement for this joint mission was solidified during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US in 2014.

Converging Philosophies in Space Exploration

• The NISAR mission is a symbol of how these two distinct approaches to space exploration—one driven by basic curiosity and the other by societal benefit—have successfully converged.
• NASA’s Origin: NASA’s genesis can be traced back to the 1930s with students at Caltech, often called the “Suicide Squad,” who conducted rocket tests in canyons with the primary aim of exploring planets out of sheer curiosity. This led to the formation of the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and subsequent large-scale missions focused on planetary exploration.
• ISRO’s Origin: In stark contrast, ISRO’s foundation was rooted in leveraging space technology for the welfare of common people and the benefit of villages. The philosophy of ISRO’s Space Application Center was clear: space technology should serve humanity.
• Early Examples of ISRO’s Vision:
  • In 1975, the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE), launched with the help of a NASA satellite, provided educational TV to 2,400 Indian villages, marking the world’s first mass communication via space.
  • P.R. Pisharoty’s use of infrared photographs from planes to address a disease affecting coconut trees in Kerala pioneered remote sensing in India, further cementing ISRO’s practical, application-oriented approach.

Applications of NISAR

• Disaster Monitoring: It will provide early signals for earthquakes, monitor melting glaciers, and track rising sea levels. 
  • For instance, it can map ground movement caused by earthquakes, as seen when NASA satellites showed Kathmandu sinking by 1 meter after the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
• Forest and Farming: The satellite will monitor forest health, track changes in tree biomass, and detect illegal logging. 
  • Farmers, such as those in Kerala, will benefit from ground water data, helping them understand where water can be extracted.

Conclusion

This mission serves as an exemplary blueprint for future international space collaborations, demonstrating that sharing costs, aligning objectives, and combining expertise leads to beneficial outcomes for all participating parties and the global community.

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