Miami – An unprecedented mission, capable of anticipating natural disasters and measuring the land to the millimeter, thus describe the experts of the NASA The Nisar Satellitewhich is scheduled to launch on July 30 from India, and that will allow you to observe things never seen by the human being.
Composed of an immense antenna of twelve meters in diameter, equivalent to the size of a school bus, the space satellite will patrol, which sentry, the earth’s orbit to map in millimeter detail the changes in the earth’s surface, which can be omen of natural catastrophes.
Among its profits, however, the monitoring of glaciers, changes in ecosystems, or even soil moisture, functions that could become favorable for economic growth, by helping to know the state of crops to thousands of farmers.
“Nisar is like a Swiss razor,” summarized the scientist of the NASA jet propulsion laboratory, Erika Podest, in an interview with Efe.
A radar that sees everything
According to the expert, no other satellite in orbit has Nisar’s ability to detect these slight movements on the earthly surface caused by plaque tectonics.
It achieves it through an synthetic opening radar system that cartography the planet at two different frequencies (band l and band S), which makes it immune to clouds and adverse weather that prevents the work of other satellites.
This technique, added to its immense antenna, will allow you to produce very high resolution images, which will also be accessible “for any world agency that can be useful,” Podest said.
Thus, countries located in areas of great seismic activity, which make them vulnerable to volcanic earthquakes or eruptions, can observe firsthand if there have been changes in the terrestrial cortex recently and emit alerts; Those with water problems will be able to track the evolution of water supplies, and the nations by the sea will better know how the coastline evolves and prepare for storms or floods.
“We will not necessarily be able to predict an earthquake, but we can see where there is greater tectonic activity and that area is potentially at a higher risk that an earthquake occurs,” said Podest.
More than 180 organizations have already expressed to NASA their interest in accessing such a database, the director of NASA Earth Sciences, Karen St. Germain, recently reported at a press conference.
In total, the satellite will completely monitor the earth’s surface every twelve days in a Heliosíncrona orbit 743 kilometers of altitude. In the case of the ocean surface, that NASA experts indicated that it is not the main objective of the mission, the detail of the images will be lower.
The first images will be available 65 days after the launch, according to NASA, and it will be from the 90th day when the “scientific phase” begins, with all the instruments ready.
The launch will be from India
Nisar also supposes the beginning of a new era of space cooperation between NASA and ISRO. India has achieved significant space goals in recent years, such as the first cash of a country in the Southern Pole of the Moon, in August 2023.
The Indian Space Agency has provided the mission’s band radar, in addition to the satellite structure, 2,800 kilograms. The launch, precisely, will be held in India, and is scheduled for July 30.
The Isro Space Center on the island of Sriharikota, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, will be the place from which the mission is launched, aboard a GSLV rocket, the second most powerful in the Indian agency.
Although Isro is known for its low -cost missions, Nisar is considered by specialized sites and the Indian agency such as the most expensive land image satellite in the world, with a value exceeding 1.5 billion dollars.
NASA recently indicated that at the beginning it estimated its contribution at 1.2 billion dollars.