How a new satellite mission will monitor Earth's crops and land from space
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission will soon provide global, all-weather imaging of Earth's land and ice. By tracking crop development and surface changes with high precision, this collaboration aims to offer critical insights into international food security and large-scale environmental shifts.
The NISAR mission is a joint project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Indian Space Research Organization. Its orbiting radar technology is designed to capture day and night imagery regardless of weather conditions, covering nearly all of Earth's land and ice masses. The satellite will revisit locations four to six times every month, providing a consistent stream of data.
Beyond monitoring crop areas and forest biomass at a field-scale level, the mission will track subtle movements of land and sea ice, including changes occurring beneath the surface. By mapping developing crop areas globally every two weeks, NISAR intends to help researchers identify large-scale trends that influence food security worldwide.
