NISAR satellite can monitor tectonic movements accurately

• NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite will be launched later this year

Highlights:

• ISRO has various space programmes lined up to be launched:

Spadex

• space docking experiment, which will entail two satellites docking in space
• Spadex can be a precursor to ISRO building a space station.
  • Because docking is one of the technologies required to be demonstrated

Gaganyaan project

• The helicopter air drop test work [of the crew module] is going on at Sriharikota.
• Four astronauts have completed their training near Moscow.

Sukhrayaan project

• A probe to Venus
• All the designs, configurations are completed.
• ISRO is seeking approval from the government.

NISAR

• This is a Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite with two bands S-band and L-band.
• The S-band payload has been made by the ISRO and the L-band by the U.S.
• The U.S. will contribute the large deployable antenna.
• It can fully cover the earth in approximately 14 to 15 days, in radar.
• It can monitor the tectonic movements to centimetre accuracy.
• It can measure water bodies accurately.
• It can look at water stressing on the earth, wherever there is deficiency of water.
• It can ground-penetrate to a certain depth.
• It is capable of monitoring the vegetation cover and snow cover.
• It, therefore, basically looks at the whole of the earth in terms of surface, water, greenery and all of that.
• It gives full coverage of the earth two times a month.
• Climate change-related issues, agricultural changes through patterns, yield, desertification and continental movements can be studied precisely through this.

Prelims Takeaway:

• NISAR
• Spadex.