'US handovers NISAR to India' What is 'NISAR' ? Read here!
NISAR The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and launch a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar on an Earth observation satellite. The satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequencies. It will be used for remote sensing, to observe and understand natural processes on Earth. With An estimated total cost of US$1.5 billion, NISAR is likely to be the world's most expensive Earth-imaging satellite. OVERVIEW The satellite will be 3-axis stabilized. It uses a 12 m extendable mesh antenna and operates in both the L and S microwave bands. The aperture grid reflector (antenna) is supplied by Northrop Grumman's Astro Aerospace. The satellite will be launched from India aboard a GSLV in Q1 of 2024. The orbit will be a Sun-synchronous, dawn-to-dusk type. The planned mission life is three years. The project has passed the first stage of the design va