NISAR Launch Date and Time: ISRO-NASA Earth Observation Satellite to Lift Off Today

India is all set to launch the highly anticipated NISAR satellite, a collaborative Earth observation mission by ISRO and NASA, on Wednesday at 5:40 PM from the second launch pad at Sriharikota, about 135 km from Chennai. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, weighing 2,393 kg, will be lifted by the GSLV-F16, a three-stage, 51.7-metre-tall rocket.

This landmark mission strengthens Indo-US ties in space exploration and is the first time a GSLV rocket will carry a satellite into a Sun-synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO), a role typically performed by PSLV.

According to ISRO, the launch countdown began at 2:10 PM on July 29. The mission phases include launch, deployment, commissioning, and science. The initial 90 days will be dedicated to the In-Orbit Checkout phase, preparing the satellite for full-scale scientific operations.

The NISAR satellite is equipped with dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar - L-Band (from NASA) and S-Band (from ISRO). It uses an advanced SweepSAR technique to deliver high-resolution, wide-swath imagery of Earth every 12 days. Its scientific goals include monitoring land ecosystems, ice sheet deformation, forest dynamics, glacier shifts, and oceanic changes, with a special focus on the Himalayas, Antarctica, and polar regions.

While ISRO developed the spacecraft and launch system, NASA contributed the L-Band radar, high-speed downlink system, and GPS receiver. Ground station support from both agencies will ensure smooth image data acquisition and dissemination.

The GSLV-F16 marks the 18th flight of the GSLV series and the 12th using the indigenous cryogenic upper stage. It is the 102nd launch from Sriharikota.

With a mission life of 5 years, NISAR is expected to deliver a wealth of data for the global scientific community, providing critical insights into climate change, natural disasters, and environmental sustainability.