NISAR Mission GSLV F16: How Much Does it Cost ISRO and NASA to Launch Satellite?
30 Jul, 2025 18:02 IST|Sakshi Post
The countdown of the NISAR satellite mission began at 2.10 p.m. on Tuesday (July 29, 2025), and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) carrying the 2,392-kg satellite successfully launched off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5.40 p.m. IST on Wednesday (July 30, 2025).
The first collaborative satellite of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is called NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).
A wide number of applications will be made possible by the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, which will scan the Earth and deliver day-and-night, all-weather data at 12-day intervals. Studying land and ice deformation, land ecosystems, and oceanic regions in areas of shared interest between the Indian and American scientific communities are the main goals of the NISAR program.
NISAR the Most Expensive Observation Satellite in the World?
The most potent SAR satellite, NISAR is the first of its type that gives scientists high-resolution images of the Earth to help them better understand the mechanisms underlying natural disasters and catastrophic events like earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Its capacity to penetrate the cloud will enable this feature.
NISAR is a "technological marvel" since it is the first satellite to be equipped with two SARs that operate in the L and S frequency bands.NISAR is the most costly Earth observation satellite in the world, having cost an astounding $1.5 billion. ISRO has paid Rs 469.4 crore ($53.69 million) towards the satellite's total project cost and will also cover the launch expenses.
NASA claims that the NISAR satellite will also enhance scientific knowledge of how fires, permafrost erosion, and deforestation affect the carbon cycle and offer vital data on changes in sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets.
Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for Science, Technology, and Space, told the Lok Sabha that India has demonstrated to the world a novel space application that is "no longer confined to just rocket launching" during the past ten years.
