NASA-ISRO NISAR earth observation satellite to launch on July 30; Gaganyaan Gaganyaan Humanoid Mission in December
ISRO chairman V Narayanan unveiled the space roadmap, including the lunar Chandrayaan-4 mission, and noted that 55 satellites are currently operational.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan interacts with reporters at Chennai Airport
CHENNAI: ISRO Chairman V Narayanan announced significant advancements in India's space program, including the imminent launch of a groundbreaking Earth-observation satellite and progress on the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, during a media interaction at Chennai International Airport late Sunday night.
“The Earth observation satellite jointly developed by ISRO and NASA will be sent into space on July 30 by the GSLV-F16 rocket made in India,” Indian Space Research Organisation chairman V Narayanan said. It will be launched at a distance of 740 km.
Weighing 2,392 kg, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a unique Earth observation satellite designed to capture high-resolution images of the Earth 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions, including through cloud cover and heavy rain. This "all-weather, day-and-night" imaging capability is unprecedented.
The satellite will play a key role in monitoring Earth’s natural resources and detecting natural disasters like landslides. It will image the entire planet every 12 days, with data shared globally, including with India and the USA. Using SweepSAR technology for the first time, it will observe Earth with a 242 km swath and high spatial resolution.
This joint mission features two key radar systems. They are: the S-band SAR, entirely designed and built in India, and the L-band SAR, built in the USA. Together, they form a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar system, both using NASA’s 12m unfurlable mesh reflector antenna, integrated with ISRO’s modified 13k satellite bus.
On Gaganyaan, India's human spaceflight Mission, Narayanan said the ISRO is preparing for a series of critical uncrewed test flights.
An uncrewed spacecraft, currently being prepared at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, will be launched in December 2025. It will carry the humanoid robot ‘Vyommitra’ instead of astronauts.
If the first test is successful, two more uncrewed missions will follow in 2026.
Upon successful completion of the uncrewed tests, ISRO aims to launch its first crewed Gaganyaan mission in March 2027. Chairman Narayanan confirmed that Prime Minister Modi has approved this historic mission.
According to him, the Chandrayaan-4 lunar program is progressing well according to plan. It includes missions focused on landing on the Moon and returning samples to Earth.
Chandrayaan-5 (LUPEX) - a joint mission with Japan - is currently under development and targeted for 2028. While Chandrayaan-3 operated on the Moon for 14 days, the upcoming Chandrayaan-5 is designed to function for 100 days on the lunar surface.
Chairman Narayanan also highlighted that 55 ISRO satellites are currently operational in space. Plans are underway to triple this number within the next four years.
He added that ISRO's research and development efforts are conducted holistically for the benefit of the entire nation, not individual states.
(With inputs from PTI)
