The United States and India are gearing up for an exciting venture set to unfold in the vast expanse of space. Anticipated for the coming year, the joint launch of a satellite promises to deepen the ties between these two nations while propelling their collective exploration of the cosmos to new heights.
In a statement released on Tuesday by Jitendra Singh, India’s deputy minister of science and technology, the Indian Space Research Organization (IRSO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plan to launch the satellite in the first quarter of 2024. The satellite, popularly referred to as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is aimed at improving Earth observation capabilities. The satellite will also help study other aspects of the earth ,for example, coastal oceans, land ecosystems, polar cyosphere, solid earth deformation, and sea ice.
The collaboration between NASA and ISRO resulted in the formation of a Joint Working Group (JWG). To further improve the collaboration, the ISRO and the Department of Space (DoS) have engaged in discussions with United States companies like Voyager, Blue Origin, and Boeing.
NISAR is planned to launch aboard India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). India’s deputy minister of science and technology, Singh, met a NASA delegation led by Bill Nelson in New Delhi. Nelson congratulated the Union Minister for the historic Chandrayaan-3 which landed on the South Polar region of the Moon.
