Isro, Nasa to jointly study global ecological changes
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and Nasa are jointly working on the NISAR satellite designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet’s most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.
Talking to HT, Isro chairman Dr Kiran Kumar said, “Our target is 2020-21. The satellite will be built by us and will be launched here. The payloads will be built by Nasa.”
The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite.
The satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency and it is planned to be used for remote sensing to observe and understand natural processes of the Earth.
Data collected from NISAR will reveal information about the evolution and state of the Earth’s crust, help scientists better understand our planet’s processes and changing climate, and aid future resource and hazard management.
The space agency, Kumar said, has planned seven launches till March 2016, including three for navigation. “There are also plans in future to carry out studies on asteroids,” he said.
Moving beyond satellite launches and planetary explorations, Isro is also aggressively working with many government departments on how to optimise usage of space tools and data.
A national meet on space is likely to be held in Delhi this month where all ministries/ departments will give a presentation before the Prime Minister on how they are using space tools for their working.