On 30 July 2025, India and NASA jointly launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, a $1.5 billion Earth observation mission, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre using GSLV-F16.
- NISAR is the first radar satellite to use dual-frequency (L-band & S-band) for tracking minute surface changes.
- Placed in a 747 km Sun-synchronous orbit, it will map the globe every 12 days.
- It helps monitor climate change, disasters, glacier retreat, and more.
- The mission marks a milestone in U.S.-India space cooperation.
- Data will be freely available worldwide; expected mission life is 5 years.
- It supports India’s rising space ambitions, including Gaganyaan and a space station by 2035.
