India–US Joint Mission NISAR to Launch in June 2025

NATIONAL HERO

April 29, 2025
Thematic Focus: Space Science | Technology | Disaster Management | GS Paper 3

🕊️ Intro Whisper:

Between the silences of space, India tunes a radar that listens to the heartbeat of the Earth.

🔹 Key Highlights: India–US Joint Mission NISAR to Launch in June 2025

• NISAR (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) to be launched aboard GSLV Mk II
• Scheduled launch: June 2025
• Jointly developed by NASA & ISRO, aims to track deforestation, earthquakes, glacial loss, and disasters
• Satellite will orbit 747 km in a sun-synchronous polar orbit

🚀 About GSLV Mk II

• Fourth-generation three-stage rocket by ISRO
• 50.9 m tall, uses solid, liquid, and cryogenic stages
• Successful since 2017, represents India’s advanced rocket capability

🧪 Stages Explained:

1️⃣ First Stage (Solid Fuel + Liquid Boosters):

• Liftoff thrust, breaks initial gravity barrier

2️⃣ Second Stage (GS2 – Liquid):

• Powered by Vikas Engine
• Fuel: UDMH & N₂O₄ (hypergolic)
• Enables mid-flight control → corrects path before orbit insertion

3️⃣ Third Stage (GS3 – Cryogenic):

• Fuel: Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) + Liquid Oxygen (LOX)
• 12-minute burn places satellite into precise orbit
• Indigenously developed cryo-stage marks self-reliance

🔸 2021 GSLV-F10 failure reminds us: GS2’s performance is crucial for GS3’s success

🛰️ NISAR’s Scientific Mission

• Combines L-band & S-band radar
• Earth observation frequency: every 12 days
• Tracks:
  • Land use & deforestation
  • Earthquakes & landslides
  • Glacial movements & sea-level rise
  • Flood zones, soil moisture, disaster management

🧭 Concept Explainer:

NISAR is not just a satellite — it’s a planetary MRI machine. Where satellites once watched, this one listens. It scans tectonic trembles, river shifts, and forests’ slow retreat. Carried on India’s GSLV Mk II, it unites global science in service of survival.

🧾 GS Mapping:

• GS Paper 3: Science & Technology | Disaster Preparedness | Space Research
• GS Paper 2: India–USA Collaboration

💠 A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk:

“When space lends us its vision, Earth’s wounds become visible. That is where healing begins.”