Nasa-Isro Joint Mission Nisar will be launched on Wednesday, start for launching the GSLV-F16 start | Mint

The 27.5-hour countdown for the launch of the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperure Radar (Nisar) satellite started at 02:10 on Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) confirmed. The satellite is scheduled to lift on board the GSLV-F16 rocket on Wednesday at 17:40 from the Saathe Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. This launch is the 102nd mission of the Indian SpacePort and is important for the first geosinchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) mission aimed at a solar-synchronous polar lane. The Nisar Mission, which was collectively developed by NASA and Isro over more than a decade, aims to deliver high-resolution, double band radar data that will help monitor changes in the Earth and ice surfaces. The partnership gained renewed momentum after discussions between United States and India leaders earlier this year. GSLV-F16, which stands at 51.7 meters, is a three-phase launch vehicle and this flight represents its 18th mission. This is also the ninth time that the rocket will work with a native getogenic upper stage. Once launched, the satellite is expected to reach a designated orbit, about 740 kilometers above the earth after a 19 -minute flight. Unlike previous Indian nature observational satellites that focused mainly on the national field, Nisar is designed for global monitoring. The satellite carries two radar systems: a NASA supply L-band and an ISRO supply S-band synthetic diaphragm radar. Together, it enables fully polarimetric and interferometric imaging, which is able to capture detailed measurements of soil displacement, ice skin movement and ecosystem dynamics every 12 days. Nisar will implement a sweepsar mode, a technique that combines a high resolution with a wide imaging. This function is expected to significantly improve the mapping of soil changes over time, including coastal erosion, glacial shifts and agricultural transformations. Isro emphasized that this mission broadens the scope of international data division and cooperation, and built on previous joint efforts such as Chandrayaan-1 and the astronaut cooperation during Axiom Mission 4 on board the International Space Station. With Nisar, both spacecraft aims to support scientific research in areas such as natural disasters, rise at sea level and climate change, using radar imaging tools suitable for long-term environmental observation. The launch will take place from the Second Lance Cushion, approximately 135 km from Chennai, with final preparations currently underway. (With input from PTI)