How a new satellite will map Earth's changing surface with unprecedented precision

Go inside NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to explore the NISAR mission. This collaborative satellite project aims to track shifts in global ecosystems, ice masses, and land surfaces, providing critical data to help us understand our evolving planet.

The NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission represents a partnership between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation. By utilizing advanced radar technology, the satellite is designed to monitor subtle changes across Earth's surface, offering insights into how our environment reacts to various pressures.

Scheduled for a 2024 launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, the mission focuses on measuring the dynamics of ice sheets and ecosystems. Experts Wendy Edelstein and Sue Owen provide an inside look at the engineering and scientific objectives required to capture these high-resolution observations from orbit.

Source: JPL Clean Room Q&A: Experts discuss NISAR, an Earth-observing satellite scheduled to launch in 2024