India-US Space Collaboration: NISAR Satellite Soars into Orbit

India and the United States commemorated their first space partnership on Wednesday with the successful launch of a GSLV rocket. The rocket placed an earth observation satellite, developed collaboratively by both nations' space agencies, into orbit with precision.

The ISRO's GSLV F-16 injected the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite into the targeted Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit after a flight of 19 minutes, covering approximately 745 km. This significant launch comes on the heels of a previous unsuccessful ISRO mission in May.

The NISAR mission, distinctive for its advanced radar technology, aims to provide critical data on Earth's land, ice deformation, and oceanic changes. The data will offer unprecedented insights into environmental monitoring and disaster preparedness, with particular focus on ecosystems, crop activity, and ice sheet dynamics.

(With inputs from agencies.)