NEW DELHI: If everything goes as per plan, India and the US will launch a joint microwave remote sensing satellite for Earth observation named NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) onboard ISRO’s GSLV in the first quarter of 2024.
To discuss this, a high-level delegation of NASA, led by its administrator and US astronaut Bill Nelson called on science & technology and space minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday. Sharing this, Dr Singh said that NISAR is slated for launch onboard India’s GSLV and data received from this will be useful for studying the land ecosystem, deformation of solid earth, mountain and polar cryosphere, sea ice and coastal oceans.
Nelson, congratulating Dr Singh for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-III, urged for expediting the program related to India’s first astronaut aboard a NASA rocket to the International Space Station. It’s pertinent to mention here that during the recent visit of PM Narendra Modi to the US, both the countries had agreed to launch a two-week joint India-US Space flight next year.
Dr Singh in a statement said that NASA is identifying an opportunity in the Private Astronaut Mission for Indian Astronaut in 2014. In fact, ISRO and NSA have formed a joint working group on human spaceflight cooperation and exploring cooperation in radiation impact studies, micro-meteorite and orbital debris shields studies.
The 8th meeting of this group was held in Washington DC in January, 2023. Dr Singh further said that India has booming space sector startups since PM Modi initiated reforms in the sector. “Within a span of 4 years, the number of space startups has gone up from a mere single digit to over 150,” the minister said.
ISRO is also exploring the feasibility of utilising NASA’s hypervelocity Impact Test (HVIT) facility for testing Gaganyaan module micrometeoroid and orbital debris protection shields.
Bill Nelson lauds ISRO for having 231 satellites from USA
Bill Nelson had flown with the crew of the 24th Space Shuttle flight onboard ‘Columbia’ in 1986. He lauded the ISRO for having 231 satellites from US, onboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Bill Nelson will meet India’s astronaut Rakesh Sharma also in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Nelson, congratulating Dr Singh for the successful launch of Chandrayaan-III, urged for expediting the program related to India’s first astronaut aboard a NASA rocket to the International Space Station. ISRO is also exploring the feasibility of utilising NASA’s hypervelocity Impact Test facility for testing Gaganyaan module micrometeoroid.