NASA-ISRO satellite gets 'auspicious' send-off before moving to India

California, February 04: NISAR which was jointly built by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), got send-off ceremony in California before it ships out to its last stop in India.

 

Outside the facility, in front of a scale model of the NISAR satellite, NASA's NISAR Project Manager Phil Barela and ISRO's NISAR Project Director CV Shrikant ceremonially broke fresh coconuts. The tradition, common in India, often marks auspicious occasions and signifies hope for a smooth road ahead. Leshin also presented the ISRO delegation with a jar of JPL lucky peanuts.

 

ISRO Chairman S Somanath, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Director Laurie Leshin, and dignitaries from NASA headquarters including Bhavya Lal, NASA's associate administrator for technology, policy, and strategy were present at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for the send-off.

 

 

"Today we come one step closer to fulfilling the immense scientific potential NASA and ISRO envisioned for NISAR when we joined forces more than eight years ago," Somanath said.

 

"This mission will be a powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool and help us study Earth's dynamic land and ice surfaces in greater detail than ever before," he added.

 

"This marks an important milestone in our shared journey to better understand planet Earth and our changing climate," JPL's Leshin said.

 

"NISAR will provide critical information on Earth's crust, ice sheets, and ecosystems. By delivering measurements at unprecedented precision, NISAR's promise is a new understanding and a positive impact in communities. Our collaboration with ISRO exemplifies what's possible when we tackle complex challenges together," added Leshin.

NISAR mission, planned to launch in 2024, is expected to systematically map Earth, using two different radar frequencies to monitor resources such as water, forests and agriculture.

 

It will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater, and will support a host of other applications.