GSLV-F16 Rocket Launch and NISAR Satellite Mission
The GSLV-F16 rocket is scheduled to inject the NISAR satellite into a 743-km sun-synchronous orbit approximately 19 minutes after lift-off.
NISAR Satellite Overview
- NISAR: NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite.
- Designed to scan the Earth and provide all-weather, day-and-night data at 12-day intervals.
- Represents the first collaborative satellite mission between ISRO and NASA.
International Collaboration
- The collaboration between ISRO and NASA has strengthened through this mission.
- The mission serves as a model for future Earth observation capabilities.
Contributions and Responsibilities
- ISRO: Responsible for building the spacecraft bus, S-band radar, and providing the launch vehicle and mission operations.
- NASA's JPL: Built the L-band radar, radar reflector, and boom, and provided a high-rated communications subsystem, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem.
Project Progress and Challenges
- The project has been a decade-long collaboration with significant learning from both agencies.
- The project anticipates successful outcomes and shared achievements for both the U.S. and India.
