India and the US will launch a joint microwave remote sensing satellite for Earth observation, named NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) in the first quarter of next year, Indian Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced on Tuesday. Washington and New Delhi have also agreed to expedite the programme related to India’s first astronaut aboard a NASA rocket to the International Space Station (ISS).
The announcement came after Singh met with a high-level delegation from NASA, led by its Administrator Bill Nelson, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
NISAR Overview
According to a press release by India’s Department of Space (DoS), NISAR is “targeted for launch onboard India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)”. Data from NISAR “will be highly suitable for studying the land ecosystems, deformation of solid earth, mountain & polar cryosphere, sea ice and coastal oceans in regional to global scale.”
Nelson said that NISAR “is part of the Great Observatories.” “A combination of 4-5 observatories, plus all of our 25 spacecraft, will help us precisely determine what is happening to the earth’s surface and its climate. It will use technology that measures any change on the surface such as land as a result of an earthquake, or disturbance on the water or movement of ice on the planet,” he added, on the subject of the joint venture.
During PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US earlier this year, the two countries agreed to launch a two-week joint India-US Space flight in 2024. NASA is currently in the process of identifying an opportunity in the Private Astronaut Mission for Indian Astronauts in 2024.
ISRO announces
— ISRO (@isro) July 28, 2023
NISAR Utilization Programme,
a chance to access & analyze data from the 🇺🇸🇮🇳NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite mission.
NISAR offers high-resolution imaging & aims to study Earth's ecosystems, cryosphere, solid earth science, and coastal ocean… pic.twitter.com/P7F1QBxFpa
The release further noted that the two countries have formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Human spaceflight cooperation and are also “exploring cooperation in radiation impact studies, micrometeorite & orbital debris shield studies; space health and medicine aspects.” The 8th meeting of the India-USA JWG on Civil Space Cooperation (CSJWG) was held in Washington DC in January 2023.
ISRO and the DoS are also in discussion with prominent US companies, such as Boeing, Blue Origin & Voyager, to discuss joint collaborations with Indian commercial entities.
In this regard, ISRO and NASA are working on a concept paper on the Implementing Arrangement (IA), and have arrived at a mutually agreed draft, which will be forwarded for intra-Governmental approvals.
Comments from Both Sides
The NASA Administrator congratulated Singh on the “historic” soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the virgin South Polar region of the Moon. He also lauded ISRO for launching 231 US satellites onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
“We discussed what the Indian astronaut would do on the International Space Station. And we talked about the things that are important to India in scientific research, which the Indian astronaut ought to have as a choice,” Nelson told a media roundtable.
Singh said that India has “a booming space sector” now after reforms in the area were introduced by PM Modi. “Within a short span of just about four years [...] the number of space startups has gone up from a mere single digit to over 150, with some of the earlier ones having turned into lucrative entrepreneurs,” the minister noted.
Artemis Accord
In June this year, India joined 26 other countries by signing the Artemis Accord with the US, which will allow “peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
As part of the deal, NASA will provide advanced training to astronauts from ISRO, with the goal of launching a “joint effort” to the International Space Station next year.
NASA and ISRO are also developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation, set to be announced by the end of this year.