NISAR deployed a 39-foot, gold-plated wire-mesh radar reflector in orbit and completed antenna deployment 17 days after launch. The satellite carries both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar to provide complementary observations. L-band penetrates forest canopy and clouds to detect crustal deformation and ice-sheet movement. S-band provides sensitivity to moisture in snow cover. The mission can record ice-sheet and glacier motion, earthquake- and landslide-induced crustal shifts, and changes in forest and wetland ecosystems with centimeter-level accuracy for certain terrains. NISAR data aims to support disaster response, infrastructure planning, agricultural policy, and food security decisions.
A Flower-like satellite has "bloomed" in outer space, unfolding to reveal the largest radar antenna reflector ever put into orbit. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), a joint project between the US space agency and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), launched on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in southeastern India, before unfurling to its full size 17 days later.
The spacecraft is now ready to make full-scale observations of the Earth, and will use radar to track changes on our planet's surface in unprecedented resolution. It can record the movement of ice sheets and glaciers, crustal deformation caused by earthquakes and landslides, and changes in forest and wetland ecosystems, down to an accuracy of a few centimeters for certain types of terrain. The aim is for NISAR data to help with decision-making in a wide range of fields, including disaster responses, infrastructure, agricultural policy, and food security.
NISAR's antenna reflector-the device it uses to transmit and receive radar signals-measures 39 feet across, making it the largest such device ever put into orbit by NASA. Made from gold-plated wire mesh, the reflector was attached to the satellite like a folded umbrella. During the four days following the launch, the satellite slowly extended its boom, before the frame of the antenna, which had been held under tension, was released on August 15, allowing the reflector to "bloom" to its full size.
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