In a landmark collaboration, India and the United States are set to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, the costliest civilian Earth observation satellite at $1.3 billion, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on July 30, 2025, at 5:40 pm IST. ISRO Chairman Dr. V Narayanan, in an NDTV interview, hailed NISAR as a “life-saving satellite” symbolizing “strength respects strength,” reflecting India’s rise as a space leader. The GSLV-F16 rocket, once dubbed the “naughty boy,” will place NISAR in a Sun-synchronous Polar Orbit, marking ISRO’s 102nd launch and the GSLV’s first such mission.

NISAR, a 2,393 kg satellite, integrates NASA’s L-Band and ISRO’s S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar, developed over a decade at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and ISRO’s Bengaluru and Ahmedabad centers. It will monitor earthquakes, glacial movements, and climate-driven disasters with millimeter precision, imaging global land and ice surfaces every 12 days. ISRO’s frugal $100 million contribution, including the satellite bus and launch, contrasts NASA’s $1.2 billion, showcasing India’s cost-efficient innovation.

Dr. Narayanan, a cryogenic engine pioneer, emphasized the GSLV Mk II’s reliability after its January 29 success, ISRO’s 100th launch. The mission, a diplomatic milestone, follows India’s journey from the 1975 Aryabhata launch with Russian aid to co-developing NISAR. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of the ISRO-JPL partnership underscored its significance.

Post-launch, a 90-day commissioning phase will prepare NISAR for a five-year mission, delivering data for disaster preparedness and environmental research, with ground support from both agencies.

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