Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh lauded the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite on Wednesday, calling it a “global benchmark” in Earth observation and a powerful symbol of Indo-US scientific collaboration.
Though parliamentary duties kept him in the capital, Singh joined scientists and senior officials at the CSIR Auditorium in New Delhi to witness the satellite’s flawless lift-off aboard the GSLV-F16 rocket via live telecast from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
“NISAR is not just a satellite; it is India’s scientific handshake with the world,” Singh said, emphasising that the mission represents the growing strength of India’s space programme and its transition from utility-based goals to knowledge-driven global initiatives.
The 2,393-kg satellite is the first in the world to carry dual-frequency synthetic aperture radars—L-band by NASA and S-band by ISRO—on a single platform. This enables high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging of Earth’s land and ice surfaces, with a revisit time of just 12 days.
In a first for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the GSLV-F16 successfully placed the satellite into a 747-kilometre Sun-synchronous Polar Orbit, marking the vehicle’s 18th mission and its 12th flight using an indigenous cryogenic stage.
Singh highlighted NISAR’s broad utility in areas such as disaster management, glacier tracking, agriculture monitoring, climate observation, and more. But he also stressed the mission’s extended value across sectors like aviation safety, maritime navigation, coastal management, and urban planning.
“This satellite will be a data backbone for smarter decisions in shipping routes, air traffic systems, and infrastructure development,” he said.
The open-access data policy of NISAR will benefit global researchers, disaster-response agencies, and developing nations, making cutting-edge Earth observation insights widely available over its five-year mission life.
Jointly funded by NASA and ISRO, the $1.5 billion mission involved significant hardware contributions from both agencies. NASA provided the L-band radar, GPS receiver, high-rate telecom system, and 12-meter deployable antenna, while ISRO contributed the S-band radar, spacecraft bus, launch vehicle, and support systems.
Singh concluded by attributing India’s space advancements to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “From Chandrayaan to NISAR, we are not just launching satellites—we are launching new possibilities for global science, sustainability, and shared progress.”
