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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"artist\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-pia26492-nisar-horizon.png?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nAn equal collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, NISAR will offer unprecedented insights into Earth\u2019s constantly changing land and ice surfaces using synthetic aperture radar technology. The spacecraft, depicted here in an artist\u2019s concept, will launch from India.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Q&A with the lead U.S. scientist of the mission, which will track changes in everything from wetlands to ice sheets to infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.<\/em><\/p>\nThe upcoming U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission will observe Earth like no mission before, offering insights about our planet\u2019s ever-changing surface.<\/p>\n
The NISAR<\/a> mission is a first-of-a-kind dual-band radar satellite that will measure land deformation<\/a> from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes, producing data for science and disaster response. It will track how much glaciers and ice sheets<\/a> are advancing or retreating and it will monitor growth and loss of forests and wetlands<\/a> for insights on the global carbon cycle.<\/p>\nAs diverse as NISAR\u2019s impact will be, the mission\u2019s winding path to launch \u2014 in a few months\u2019 time<\/a> \u2014 has also been remarkable. Paul Rosen, NISAR\u2019s project scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, has been there at every step. He recently discussed the mission and what sets it apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/e-paul-rosen.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNISAR Project Scientist Paul Rosen of NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory first traveled to India in late 2011 to discuss collaboration with ISRO scientists on an Earth-observing radar mission. NASA and ISRO signed an agreement in 2014 to develop NISAR. <\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow will NISAR improve our understanding of Earth?<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe planet\u2019s surfaces never stop changing \u2014 in some ways small and subtle, and in other ways monumental and sudden. With NISAR, we\u2019ll measure that change roughly every week, with each pixel capturing an area about half the size of a tennis court. Taking imagery of nearly all Earth\u2019s land and ice surfaces this frequently and at such a small scale \u2014 down to the centimeter \u2014 will help us put the pieces together into one coherent picture to create a story about the planet as a living system.<\/p>\n
What sets NISAR apart from other Earth missions?<\/strong><\/h3>\nNISAR will be the first Earth-observing satellite with two kinds of radar \u2014 an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength and an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength.<\/p>\n
Whether microwaves reflect or penetrate an object depends on their wavelength. Shorter wavelengths are more sensitive to smaller objects such as leaves and rough surfaces, whereas longer wavelengths are more reactive with larger structures like boulders and tree trunks.<\/p>\n
So NISAR\u2019s two radar signals will react differently to some features on Earth\u2019s surface. By taking advantage of what each signal is or isn\u2019t sensitive to, researchers can study a broader range of features than they could with either radar on its own, observing the same features with different wavelengths.<\/p>\n
Is this new technology?<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe concept of a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, studying Earth\u2019s processes dates to the 1970s, when NASA launched Seasat<\/a>. Though the mission lasted only a few months, it produced first-of-a-kind images that changed the remote-sensing landscape for decades to come.<\/p>\nIt also drew me to JPL in 1981 as a college student: I spent two summers analyzing data from the mission. Seasat led to NASA\u2019s Shuttle Imaging Radar program<\/a> and later to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat will happen to the data from the mission?<\/strong><\/h3>\nOur data products will fit the needs of users across the mission\u2019s science focus areas \u2014 ecosystems, cryosphere, and solid Earth \u2014 plus have many uses beyond basic research like soil-moisture and water resources monitoring.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll make the data easily accessible. Given the volume of the data, NASA decided that it would be processed and stored in the cloud, where it\u2019ll be free to access.<\/p>\n
How did the ISRO partnership come about?<\/strong><\/h3>\nWe proposed DESDynI<\/a> (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice), an L-band satellite, following the 2007 Decadal Survey by the National Academy of Sciences. At the time, ISRO was exploring launching an S-band satellite. The two science teams proposed a dual-band mission, and in 2014 NASA and ISRO agreed to partner on NISAR.<\/p>\nSince then, the agencies have been collaborating across more than 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) and 13 time zones. Hardware was built on different continents before being assembled in India to complete the satellite. It\u2019s been a long journey \u2014 literally.<\/p>\n
More About NISAR<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe NISAR mission is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission. Managed for the agency by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission\u2019s L-band SAR. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem.<\/p>\n
Space Applications Centre Ahmedabad, ISRO\u2019s lead center for payload development, is providing the mission\u2019s S-band SAR instrument and is responsible for its calibration, data processing, and development of science algorithms to address the scientific goals of the mission. U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, which leads the ISRO components of the mission, is providing the spacecraft bus. The launch vehicle is from ISRO\u2019s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, launch services are through ISRO\u2019s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and satellite mission operations are by ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network. National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad is primarily responsible for S-band data reception, operational products generation, and dissemination.<\/p>\n
To learn more about NISAR, visit:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/nisar.jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\nNews Media Contacts<\/strong><\/h3>\nAndrew Wang \/ Jane J. Lee
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 \/ 818-354-0307
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a> \/ jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n2025-001<\/p>\n
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![\"artist\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-pia26492-nisar-horizon.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>A Q&A with the lead U.S. scientist of the mission, which will track changes in everything from wetlands to ice sheets to infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.<\/em><\/p>\n The upcoming U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission will observe Earth like no mission before, offering insights about our planet\u2019s ever-changing surface.<\/p>\n The NISAR<\/a> mission is a first-of-a-kind dual-band radar satellite that will measure land deformation<\/a> from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes, producing data for science and disaster response. It will track how much glaciers and ice sheets<\/a> are advancing or retreating and it will monitor growth and loss of forests and wetlands<\/a> for insights on the global carbon cycle.<\/p>\n As diverse as NISAR\u2019s impact will be, the mission\u2019s winding path to launch \u2014 in a few months\u2019 time<\/a> \u2014 has also been remarkable. Paul Rosen, NISAR\u2019s project scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, has been there at every step. He recently discussed the mission and what sets it apart.<\/p>\n The planet\u2019s surfaces never stop changing \u2014 in some ways small and subtle, and in other ways monumental and sudden. With NISAR, we\u2019ll measure that change roughly every week, with each pixel capturing an area about half the size of a tennis court. Taking imagery of nearly all Earth\u2019s land and ice surfaces this frequently and at such a small scale \u2014 down to the centimeter \u2014 will help us put the pieces together into one coherent picture to create a story about the planet as a living system.<\/p>\n NISAR will be the first Earth-observing satellite with two kinds of radar \u2014 an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength and an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength.<\/p>\n Whether microwaves reflect or penetrate an object depends on their wavelength. Shorter wavelengths are more sensitive to smaller objects such as leaves and rough surfaces, whereas longer wavelengths are more reactive with larger structures like boulders and tree trunks.<\/p>\n So NISAR\u2019s two radar signals will react differently to some features on Earth\u2019s surface. By taking advantage of what each signal is or isn\u2019t sensitive to, researchers can study a broader range of features than they could with either radar on its own, observing the same features with different wavelengths.<\/p>\n The concept of a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, studying Earth\u2019s processes dates to the 1970s, when NASA launched Seasat<\/a>. Though the mission lasted only a few months, it produced first-of-a-kind images that changed the remote-sensing landscape for decades to come.<\/p>\n It also drew me to JPL in 1981 as a college student: I spent two summers analyzing data from the mission. Seasat led to NASA\u2019s Shuttle Imaging Radar program<\/a> and later to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our data products will fit the needs of users across the mission\u2019s science focus areas \u2014 ecosystems, cryosphere, and solid Earth \u2014 plus have many uses beyond basic research like soil-moisture and water resources monitoring.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll make the data easily accessible. Given the volume of the data, NASA decided that it would be processed and stored in the cloud, where it\u2019ll be free to access.<\/p>\n We proposed DESDynI<\/a> (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice), an L-band satellite, following the 2007 Decadal Survey by the National Academy of Sciences. At the time, ISRO was exploring launching an S-band satellite. The two science teams proposed a dual-band mission, and in 2014 NASA and ISRO agreed to partner on NISAR.<\/p>\n Since then, the agencies have been collaborating across more than 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) and 13 time zones. Hardware was built on different continents before being assembled in India to complete the satellite. It\u2019s been a long journey \u2014 literally.<\/p>\n The NISAR mission is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission. Managed for the agency by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission\u2019s L-band SAR. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem.<\/p>\n Space Applications Centre Ahmedabad, ISRO\u2019s lead center for payload development, is providing the mission\u2019s S-band SAR instrument and is responsible for its calibration, data processing, and development of science algorithms to address the scientific goals of the mission. U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, which leads the ISRO components of the mission, is providing the spacecraft bus. The launch vehicle is from ISRO\u2019s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, launch services are through ISRO\u2019s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and satellite mission operations are by ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network. National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad is primarily responsible for S-band data reception, operational products generation, and dissemination.<\/p>\n To learn more about NISAR, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/nisar.jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n Andrew Wang \/ Jane J. Lee 2025-001<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>How will NISAR improve our understanding of Earth?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What sets NISAR apart from other Earth missions?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Is this new technology?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What will happen to the data from the mission?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How did the ISRO partnership come about?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
More About NISAR<\/strong><\/h3>\n
News Media Contacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-379-6874 \/ 818-354-0307
andrew.wang@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a> \/ jane.j.lee@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n