NISAR
- SCI & TECH
News: NISAR Testing Gains Pace, Isro Looks
At 2 Launches in November December
What's
in the news?
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ISRO, which has its eyes set on multiple
big missions — in-orbit Servicer Mission, Lunar sample return mission, Docking
in Space (SPADEX), Mars Lander Mission to name some — following Chandrayaan-3,
is looking to launch at least two more missions this year.
Key
takeaways:
●
While SPADEX is key to India’s ambitions
of establishing a space station by 2035 as envisioned by the PM, lunar sample
return missions will be critical in finally putting humans on the Moon, for
which the PM has set a 2040 goal.
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The ‘lunar hop’ performed by Chandrayaan-3
lander Vikram is seen as a precursor for the sample return mission, which will
still need a lot of work.
NISAR:
●
NISAR has been built by space agencies of
the US and India under a partnership
agreement signed in 2014.
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The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture
radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
Launch:
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NISAR is expected to be launched in
January 2024 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre into a near-polar orbit.
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The satellite will operate for a minimum of three years.
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NASA requires the L-band radar for its
global science operations for at least three years.
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Meanwhile, ISRO will utilise the S-band
radar for a minimum of five years.
NASA's
Contribution:
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NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data
and a payload data subsystem.
●
Antenna
reflector is another important component of the satellite, made
up of a gold-plated wire mesh.
○
The reflector will be used to focus “the
radar signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument
structure”.
ISRO's
contribution:
●
ISRO has provided the S-band radar, the GSLV launch system and spacecraft.
Features
of the Mission:
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NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces, helping
researchers better understand the causes and consequences of such phenomena.
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It will spot warning signs of natural
disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.
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The satellite will also measure groundwater levels, track flow
rates of glaciers and ice sheets, and monitor the planet’s forest and
agricultural regions, which can improve our understanding of carbon exchange.
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ISRO will use NISAR for a variety of
purposes including agricultural mapping,
and monitoring of glaciers in the Himalayas, landslide-prone areas and changes
in the coastline.
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By using synthetic aperture radar (SAR),
NISAR will produce high-resolution
images.
○
SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and
can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.
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NISAR has a potential image of the entire Earth in 12 days.