Nasa-Isro's Nisar Earth observation satellite lifts off aboard GSLV-F16 from Sriharikota

In a landmark moment for Indo-US space cooperation, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Wednesday successfully launched the Nisar Earth observation satellite — its first joint mission with Nasa.

The mission lifted off aboard the GSLV-F16, a three-stage rocket standing 51.7 metres tall from the second launch pad at Sriharikota around 135 km from Chennai. The launch followed a 27.5-hour countdown.

VIDEO | NISAR launch: ISRO’s most advanced Earth observation satellite successfully lifts off from Sriharikota. Jointly developed by ISRO and NASA, the NISAR satellite marks a big step in strengthening India–US space collaboration.

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Weighing 2,393 kilograms, the Nisar satellite was carried into space on a trajectory that will place it into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 745 km. The deployment is expected to take about 19 minutes.

VIDEO | Andhra Pradesh: The NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is ready for liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This advanced Earth observation satellite will be launched aboard India’s largest rocket, the GSLV Mk II, a three-stage… pic.twitter.com/N4wa18hueU

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 30, 2025

The Nisar mission, developed collaboratively by Isro and the US space agency Nasa will provide high-resolution data on Earth’s surface changes, aiding in disaster management, agricultural monitoring and climate research.

This is the first time a GSLV rocket has carried a satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit, typically handled by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs). Isro said this mission was the result of over a decade of collaboration, involving the exchange of technology, hardware, and expertise between the two space agencies.

The Nisar satellite is equipped with two radar bands: L-Band provided by Nasa and S-Band developed by Isro. Together, these enable the use of SweepSAR technology, allowing the satellite to produce high-resolution images every 12 days, covering land, ice, and ocean surfaces.

Following the successful launch, the mission now enters its commissioning phase. Isro had said the first 90 days will be dedicated to In-Orbit Checkout, during which the systems onboard the satellite will be tested and prepared for science operations.