On July 30, 2025, India and the US launched NISAR, the world’s most powerful Earth radar satellite. The dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar was launched at 5:40 PM IST from Sriharikota. Built to study Earth’s dynamic systems, NISAR will monitor land deformation, ice sheet changes, and ecosystem shifts. It’s a milestone in India-US space collaboration and aims to aid disaster management and climate science.

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• NISAR launched July 30, 2025, from Sriharikota via GSLV Mk II at 5:40 PM IST
• Joint mission by NASA (USA) and ISRO (India), marks historic collaboration
• Satellite uses dual-band radar: L-band (NASA) + S-band (ISRO)
• Enables high-res, wide-swath imaging of Earth’s surface changes
• Tracks earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, urban subsidence with mm-level accuracy
• Monitors ecosystems: forests, wetlands, crops, groundwater, and ice sheets
• Global scan every 12 days; some regions revisited every 6 days
• Helps in disaster response: seismic alerts, landslide warnings, infrastructure risks
• Enhances climate studies: glacial melt, sea-level rise, soil moisture, aquifers
• Cost: $1.5 billion (₹13,000 crore), most expensive Earth radar satellite ever