The launch of a joint US-Indian radar spacecraft is anticipated to be postponed to the latter a part of this 12 months resulting from ongoing changes obligatory for its intensive retractable antenna.

According to an official assertion issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USA, on March 22, the launch date for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission can be rescheduled by end-April.

Recently, S Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had said that the NISAR launch can be postponed from the primary quarter of the 12 months. However, he didn’t present specifics on the explanation for the delay, besides saying that it was unrelated to the rocket, GSLV Mark 2, which might be used for the launch. Somanath said that NISAR was nonetheless being examined and there was the potential of a delay in its launch. The launch, he stated, was anticipated to happen within the second half of the 12 months.

As reported beforehand, NASA officers had initially deliberate for the mission to happen in the course of the spring season, with an estimated launch date on the finish of March. However, the rescheduling choice has been made to make sure the safety of the spacecraft’s radar antenna reflector, a 12-metre (roughly 39-foot) antenna that must be safeguarded from excessive temperatures whereas it’s in its folded state.

To handle this difficulty, NASA plans to use a specialised coating to the antenna. “This coating will improve the reflector’s ability to bounce off sunlight, thereby preventing the antenna from encountering excessive heat. According to an announcement by NASA, extensive testing and analyses indicate that the reflector on the spacecraft could be subjected to higher temperatures than originally anticipated when folded in-flight,” explains Girish Linganna, Bengaluru primarily based aerospace and defence analyst.

According to info within the public area, the reflector on the NISAR satellite tv for pc is being shipped again to the US for an extra ‘special coating’, because the house companies plan a brand new launch window for the earth commentary satellite tv for pc.

Why?

“Because, the special coating will reduce the temperature as it will reflect more of the solar radiation away from the reflector’s hardware, according to NASA,” Linganna provides.

For this function, the reflector, along with the remainder of the NISAR spacecraft, is being shipped from the satellite tv for pc meeting web site in Bengaluru’s UR Rao Satellite Centre to a facility in California. This chosen, specialised facility possesses the requisite quantity of experience and assets to successfully perform the coating utility process. 

Significant Space Cooperation Milestone

NISAR marks a major milestone as it’s the inaugural joint Earth science spacecraft collaboration between NASA and ISRO. This partnership is likely one of the most substantial alliances between the 2 companies, with NASA investing over US$1 billion solely within the mission’s formulation and improvement. The L-band radar and engineering payload will come from NASA, whereas ISRO will present the S-band payload, spacecraft bus and launch car.

NISAR would be the pioneering satellite tv for pc mission to collect radar information in two distinct microwave frequency ranges:

L-band (1-2 GHz), which is broadly utilized for satellite tv for pc communication and remote-sensing functions, and

S-band (2-4 GHz), which is usually employed for satellite tv for pc communication and climate monitoring functions.

According to Linganna, “The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an innovative, remote-sensing technique that employs radar systems rather than traditional optical sensors to capture detailed images of Earth’s surface. This advanced technology has the ability to penetrate through clouds and dense vegetation, enabling the generation of precise and reliable data.”

Financial Express Online has reported beforehand, the NISAR mission goals at capturing complete pictures of Earth’s land and ice plenty frequently. The spacecraft will be capable to map all the Earth each 12 days. The ensuing information is anticipated to be promptly accessible, with a turnaround time of some days after commentary and even faster in emergency conditions, sometimes inside a matter of hours.

What NASA, ISRO Wish to Achieve?

Disaster mapping is a major side of the NISAR mission. By using pre-disaster pictures, it seeks to reinforce our understanding of disasters and help within the improvement of efficient insurance policies for future occasions. Additionally, the benefit of satellite tv for pc observations being unaffected by climate situations permits for well timed and credible info to be relayed throughout rescue operations and for estimating losses.

Forest habitats play an important position in our ecosystem, serving as sources of timber, gasoline and varied merchandise. They additionally act as carbon sinks, serving to cut back extra carbon within the environment, whereas concurrently purifying air and water assets. Additionally, forests present habitats for quite a few wildlife species. NISAR’s major goal is to watch, and assess, international forest assets—together with their extent and high quality, in an effort to facilitate sustainable improvement and efficient administration practices

Agriculture and meals safety are essential issues and SAR imaging can play a pivotal position in addressing them. By capturing detailed pictures of crop rotation, progress and harvest, SAR expertise can streamline agricultural planning and optimize output. Moreover, it allows the monitoring of crop health, permitting for early detection of points that will influence meals manufacturing. This info can contribute to enhancing agricultural practices and guaranteeing meals safety. 

The NISAR mission was allotted a considerable finances of USD 1.5 billion, equal to roughly Rs 12,505 crore in Indian forex round mid-2023. This makes it the most expensive Earth-imaging satellite tv for pc mission globally. However, the general price might escalate because of the inclusion of extra coatings and different modifications that could be deemed obligatory previous to launch.