--- title: "What the NASA-ISRO NISAR Satellite Has Shown Us in Its First Year" description: "NISAR, the joint NASA-ISRO radar satellite, launched on 30 July 2025. Here is how it works, what it has shown in its first year and why it matters for India." author: "Daria Smirnova" published: 2026-11-05 updated: 2026-11-05 canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/blog/1514/what-the-nasa-isro-nisar-satellite-has-shown-us-in-its-first-year category: "ISRO" tags: ["isro", "nasa", "Earth observation"] reading_time: 4 minutes --- # What the NASA-ISRO NISAR Satellite Has Shown Us in Its First Year On 30 July 2025, ISRO's GSLV-F16 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota carrying NISAR, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite. It was the first major Earth observation satellite built jointly by the American and Indian space agencies, and one of the most advanced radar satellites ever launched. More than a year later, it is worth looking at what NISAR does and what it has started to show us. ## What NISAR is NISAR is an Earth observation satellite designed to map changes on the planet's surface with remarkable precision. Instead of taking ordinary photographs, it uses radar, which sends microwave signals toward Earth and measures the echoes that bounce back. The name stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar. Synthetic aperture radar is a technique that combines many radar measurements taken as the satellite moves, creating detailed images as if the satellite had a much larger antenna. ## Two radars in one NISAR is unique because it carries two radar systems. An L-band radar, provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. L-band signals have longer wavelengths that can pass through forest canopies and are good for measuring ground movement and vegetation structure. An S-band radar, provided by ISRO. S-band signals have shorter wavelengths and are useful for crops, surface features and other applications. Using both together gives scientists more information than either could provide alone. ISRO also provided the spacecraft bus, which holds the systems together, and the launch. NISAR's radar uses a large reflector antenna about 12 metres across, which unfolds in space like an umbrella. ## Why radar matters Optical satellites take pictures using sunlight, like a camera. They cannot see through clouds and do not work at night. Radar satellites carry their own signal, so they can observe Earth day and night, in any weather, and through cloud cover. For a country like India, where monsoon clouds cover large areas for months, this is a huge advantage. ## What NISAR measures NISAR is designed to scan nearly all of Earth's land and ice surfaces repeatedly, roughly every 12 days. By comparing images over time, scientists can detect changes as small as a centimetre in some cases. This allows it to monitor: - Earthquakes and ground movement along faults. - Landslides and ground subsidence, where land sinks. - Volcanoes and signs of activity. - Glaciers and ice sheets, including in the Himalayas. - Forests, including how much biomass they hold. - Agriculture, including crop growth and soil moisture. - Floods and coastal changes. ## What the first year has shown Shortly after launch, NISAR went through a commissioning phase, during which engineers deployed the antenna, tested systems and calibrated instruments. In the following months, NASA and ISRO released the first radar images. Among the early images, NASA shared views of the coast of Maine in the United States and farmland in North Dakota, showing details such as forests, wetlands, field boundaries and different crop types. These early images demonstrated that the radar systems were working as designed and producing high-quality data. As the satellite moved into regular science operations, it began building the long time series of images that scientists need to measure gradual change. The real value of NISAR comes from these repeated observations over months and years, which reveal patterns that a single image cannot. NASA has committed to making NISAR data freely available, which means researchers, governments and businesses worldwide can use it. ## Why NISAR matters for India **Disaster management.** India faces floods, landslides, cyclones and earthquakes. NISAR's ability to see through clouds and measure ground movement can support early warning, damage assessment and response. **Himalayan glaciers.** Monitoring Himalayan glaciers helps understand water supply for major rivers and risks such as glacial lake outburst floods. **Agriculture.** Tracking crop growth and soil moisture can support crop forecasting, insurance and planning. **Infrastructure.** Detecting ground subsidence helps monitor risks to buildings, railways, dams and bridges. **Coastal monitoring.** India's long coastline faces erosion and sea-level change, which NISAR can help track. ## International cooperation NISAR is also a symbol of space cooperation between India and the United States. Building a satellite across two space agencies, with instruments from both countries, required years of coordination. It sits alongside other collaborations, including Shubhanshu Shukla's flight to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 4 in 2025. ## The bottom line NISAR, launched on 30 July 2025, is a joint NASA-ISRO radar satellite that can observe Earth in any weather, day and night, and measure tiny changes in land and ice. Its first year has seen successful commissioning and the release of detailed radar images, as scientists build up the long record needed to track change over time. For India, its value lies in disaster response, glacier monitoring, agriculture and infrastructure safety, and in what it represents for international space cooperation. --- Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/blog/1514/what-the-nasa-isro-nisar-satellite-has-shown-us-in-its-first-year Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.