ISRO to Announce NISAR Satellite Operation on November 7
The Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), V. Narayanan, announced on 5th November that the operational launch of the NISAR satellite, jointly developed by ISRO and NASA, will be declared on Friday. The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is considered the most expensive Earth observation satellite to date.
The satellite has the capability to monitor most of the Earth's land and ice-covered surfaces twice every 12 days. Weighing approximately 2,400 kilograms, the NISAR satellite was launched on 30th July from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre using a GSLV rocket.
Addressing the 'Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conference' (ESTIC), Narayanan said, "All data processing is complete and we will hold a conference on 7th November to announce the operational launch of the satellite." He added, "The data quality is excellent. It can observe the Earth every 12 days and will prove to be an extremely useful satellite."
The ISRO chief also stated that the first unmanned mission of the Gaganyaan project is expected in January, with plans to send astronauts into space by 2027 using an indigenous rocket. Over 8,000 tests have been conducted for this mission. ISRO plans to conduct three unmanned missions before sending astronauts into Earth's orbit.
Additionally, India plans to launch the first module of its Indian Space Station by 2028.