‘Will change the way we see Earth’: NASA top official Casey Swails on NISAR launch with ISRO | VIDEO

Casey Swails, Deputy Associate Administrator at NASA, lauded the launch of the joint satellite NISAR as “a powerful symbol of international cooperation.” Addressing scientists and officials at the ISRO Mission Control Centre on Wednesday, she said the mission "really shows the world what our two nations can do," adding that it is also “a pathfinder for the relationship building.”

Congratulating the ISRO and NASA teams, Swails called the mission “more than technology or science,” stressing its role in uniting global expertise towards a common goal. “Together, we have built a spacecraft that combines the best of both agencies’ technologies, capabilities, and vision,” she said.

Swails highlighted that NISAR will monitor subtle changes in Earth’s surface, helping decision-makers respond to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and landslides. It will also support agricultural planning, infrastructure monitoring, and environmental research by openly sharing data with researchers and policymakers worldwide.

What is NISAR and how will it operate?

The satellite, named NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), is the largest space collaboration between India and the United States. Launched from India’s Bay of Bengal coast, NISAR will orbit the Earth from a near-polar path at an altitude of 747 kilometres.

Equipped with two radar systems — a low-frequency radar from the US and a high-frequency radar from India — NISAR will scan almost the entire globe, day and night, through clouds, rain, and dense vegetation.

Once fully deployed with a 9-metre boom and a 12-metre drum-shaped reflector made of gold-plated wire mesh, the satellite is expected to begin science operations by the end of October.

What will NISAR track?

NISAR is designed to detect the slightest movements in land, glaciers, and polar ice sheets. It will also monitor groundwater shifts, forest and wetland changes, and land stress that may lead to landslides or earthquakes.

Scientists say the satellite’s data will significantly enhance forecasts and response times for natural disasters while offering insights into environmental and agricultural changes.

Who contributed what to the mission?

NASA is funding $1.2 billion of the mission and has provided the low-frequency radar and reflector. ISRO’s contribution of $91 million covers the high-frequency radar, the main satellite structure, and the launch vehicle.

The mission reflects over ten years of collaboration between scientists, engineers, and planners across both countries, with contributions from teams stretching from Pasadena in the US to Bengaluru in India.

As Swails noted in her address, “Today, we not only celebrate a launch, but also a partnership that will change the way we see Earth, forever.”

With AP inputs