NASA and ISRO’s joint satellite NISAR gets traditional send-off

'NISAR' is a joint mission of the American space agency NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Nisar is now ready, and a send-off ceremony was held in California before its final arrival in India.

A statement released by NASA said: “It’s nearly time for the scientific heart of NISAR – short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar – an Earth science satellite being jointly built by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, to ship out to its last stop before launching into orbit.”

Laurie Leshin, JPL Director, NASA, said, “This marks an important milestone in our shared journey to understand planet Earth and our changing climate better. NISAR will provide critical information on Earth’s crust, ice sheets, and ecosystems.”

“By delivering measurements at unprecedented precision, NISAR promises a new understanding and positive impact in communities. Our collaboration with ISRO exemplifies what’s possible when we tackle complex challenges together,” she added.

Outside the facility, in front of a scale model of the NISAR satellite, NASA’s NISAR Project Manager Phil Barela and ISRO’s NISAR Project Director CV Shrikant ceremonially broke fresh coconuts. The tradition, common in India, often marks auspicious occasions and signifies hope for a smooth road ahead.

Somanath, Indian Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission Sripriya Ranganathan, said, “Today we come one step closer to fulfilling the immense scientific potential NASA and ISRO envisioned for NISAR when we joined forces more than eight years ago.”

He added further that this mission will be a powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool and help us study Earth’s dynamic land and ice surfaces in greater detail than ever before.

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