NISAR Satellite

General Studies Paper -3

Context: Indo-US satellite- NISAR is to study Earth’s cryospheric changes which will help in natural resource, hazard management

About the NISAR

• NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration between NASA and ISRO for an Earth-observing mission. 
• The radar satellite is set to launch in 2024
• The goal of NISAR is to make global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.
• Collaboration: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will lead the US component and provide the mission’s L-band SAR. 
  • ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre and Space Applications Centre will contribute the spacecraft bus, launch vehicle and S-band SAR electronics.
• It will employ two radar systems, an L-band and an S-band ,to penetrate clouds and darkness, offering comprehensive data even during polar winter nights.
• NISAR will cover nearly all of the planet’s land and ice surfaces every 12 days. 

Applications of NISAR

• Snow studies: The L-band radar is particularly adept at penetrating snow, offering insights into the movement of ice beneath, while the S-band radar focuses on snow moisture, indicating areas of melting.
• Glaciers: Beyond polar ice, NISAR will track changes in mountain glaciers, which have significantly contributed to sea level rise since the 1960s.
• Wetlands: This mission is distinguished by its ability to track a variety of Earth’s vital signs, ranging from the health of wetlands to the impacts of deforestation and natural hazards.
• Geophysical dynamics:The measurements will also enable scientists to closely study what happens where ice and ocean meet.
  • For example, when parts of an ice sheet sit on ground that is below sea level, saltwater can seep under the ice and increase melting and instability.
• Southern ocean: The mission’s extensive coverage of the Southern Ocean is unprecedented and will offer new insights into these crucial areas.

Significance

• This initiative comes at a crucial time, as recent satellite imagery from East Antarctica has shown significant glacial collapse, highlighting the urgent need for detailed monitoring.
• The mission will also provide a ‘time-lapse movie’ of ice sheets, offering a consistent view of their motion, thus aiding in predictions of future changes. This is important to understand and predict the dynamics of ice sheets.
• The satellite’s all-weather capability is particularly beneficial for monitoring regions like the Himalayas, where cloud cover can hinder data collection.