Critical NASA Radar Antenna Reflector Needs Repairs: Will Be Sent Back To America

- One of Nisar's radars has been developed by scientists at the Space Application Center (Ahmedabad).

- Change in the program of NASA-ISRO's first Nisar satellite: now it will be launched after August instead of May

OTTAWA/MUMBAI: There has been a slight change in the schedule for the launch of America's and India's first joint NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar). That is, according to the original time table, the Nisar satellite was planned to be launched from India's Sriharikota space station in May 2024. Now, however, the satellite is likely to be launched after August 2024 as some important scientific equipment of the Nissar satellite is to be improved.

This important information has been given by highly reliable sources of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Nilesh Kumar Desai, director of Space Application Setter (SAC-Sec-Ahmedabad), an associate organization of ISRO, while giving exclusive information to Gujarat Samachar, said that NASA and ISRO have prepared a joint project named Nisar for the first time in the field of space exploration. According to the original time table, Nisar was scheduled to be launched from India's Sriharikota space station in May 2024. All the scientific instruments of Nisar have been tested during this preparation.

During the scientific tests conducted by ISRO, it has been found that a special type of coating is required around the reflector of the radar antenna developed by NASA. While the Nisar satellite goes into space and starts its operation, it is exposed to extreme boiling temperatures and radiation. (radiation) is likely to have the opposite effect. Also, if the temperature is even higher than expected, the entire structure of the Nisar satellite may be seriously damaged. ISRO has informed NASA about this very important test.

NASA prepared radar antenna reflectors will be sent back, taking care not to create such a dangerous situation in the Nisar satellite. NASA will send ISRO the necessary and robust coating around its scientific apparatus for safety. Since this entire process is critical to the safety of the satellite, we have delayed the time table for launching it. That means Nisar will now be launched from Sriharikota space station after August 2024.

SEC Director Nilesh Kumar Desai while giving important technical information to Gujarat Samachar said that ISRO's S Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) scientific instrument at Nisar has been developed by SEC. In other words, the contribution of SAC scientists and engineers is fundamental.

The Nisar satellite is basically a radar imaging mission. NISSAR has scientific equipment such as Synthetic Aperture Radar Instrument (SAR), L Band SAR, S Band SAR, Antenna Reflector, etc. With the help of these sophisticated equipment, NISSAR is capable of observing both in space and on Earth. Only one centimeter can take a clear image of an object and its movement. Nisar has two radars in total. One is the L band SAR -- SAR -- developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the other is the S band SSR -- SAR -- developed by ISRO.

NASA Nissar Project Manager Phil Barella and ISRO Nissar Project Manager CV Srikanth informed that the main purpose of Nissar is to study the exploratory and alarming changes taking place in the vast sphere of the earth and its climate (climate changes).

Nisar will remain in low earth orbit i.e. at a distance of 747 km for three years and provide useful information by closely observing the vast sphere of the earth. Roughly speaking, Nisar will prepare a special map of the Earth every 12 days. However, the satellite will remain operational in space for 90 days after which it will start mapping the Earth.

This map shows the extent of the Earth's ice sheets, how much sea level has risen, the amount of underground water resources, the seismic activity in the Earth's crust, the dangerous activity in volcanoes, the huge ice sheets and glaciers that are melting in Antarctica, and the snow rivers in the Himalayas and the snowy mountain ranges of Europe. It is important and useful in terms of changes in oceans and seas, tsunamis, landslides, changes in dense forests, mountains, agricultural land and the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere and how it affects the entire ecosystem. Exploratory study is to be done. This means that our Nisar satellite will indeed perform the unique functions of a state-of-the-art observatory.