Launched on July 30, 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint Earth science mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). NISAR’s dual frequency imaging radar operates at L-band (24 cm) and S-band (12 cm) wavelengths and is the first of its kind in space. The radar package provides combined 20-meter spatial resolution and 12-day temporal repeat (with 3 revisits per 12-day cycle), a heretofore unavailable capability for precision monitoring of the dynamic nature of Earth’s surface. NISAR is designed to provide a detailed view of the Earth to observe and measure some of the planet's most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances, inundation dynamics, active cropping area, ice-sheet collapse, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater issues. NISAR’s sun-synchronous orbit supports acquisition of a comprehensive global time series of observations of Earth’s land surface and its ocean ice. Its dual-band imaging radar will systematically map Earth, measuring changes of our planet's surface as small as a centimeter. This Science Talk will provide an overview of the NISAR mission and its capability to study our environment.
Speaker
Professor Kyle McDonald
Co-Lead, Research, Development, and Innovation Pillar at the UNU Hub on R-SIRUS at CCNY
