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NEW DELHI: After a series of postponements, the government has finally confirmed the long-awaited launch of the NISAR satellite for June 2025, marking a critical moment in the country’s growing space ambitions. Along with this proud feat for the nation, another announcement related to India’s upcoming participation in the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) was also made.
In this historic mission, Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to be in space after Rakesh Sharma.
These announcements came during a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.
The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite has been under development for over a decade. It was initially scheduled for a 2024 launch but faced setbacks due to technical issues, particularly with its 12-metre radar antenna reflector.
The mission, which had been pushed to March 2025, is now confirmed for a June liftoff aboard Isro’s GSLV-F16 from Sriharikota.
What is NISAR mission?
NISAR represents a landmark collaboration between Nasa and Isro. It is the first Earth-observing satellite to carry dual-frequency synthetic aperture radars, Nasa’s L-band and Isro’s S-band, which will allow it to monitor changes in Earth’s surface with unmatched precision.
The satellite, weighing 2.8 tonnes and costing over Rs 5,800 crore, will scan nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces every 12 days, providing high-resolution data on natural disasters, climate change, land use, and the movement of the Earth’s crust.
The mission is not just a scientific milestone but also a geopolitical one. As per Nasa, NISAR will deliver critical data to track glaciers, forests, wetlands, and infrastructure impacted by natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides.
The dual-band radar technology allows it to detect surface changes as small as a few centimetres, even under cloud cover or dense vegetation, making it ideal for both research and disaster response.
The satellite’s key hardware, jointly developed and integrated across facilities in India and the United States, includes a deployable boom, radar reflectors, GPS receivers, and high-speed data communication systems. With its cloud-based data storage and open access, NISAR is expected to benefit scientists and policymakers around the world.
The satellite’s confirmation comes as India intensifies its space efforts with the Gaganyaan mission and its debut at the ISS through Axiom Mission 4, a Nasa-approved private mission by US-based Axiom Space.
What is Axiom-4 mission?
Slated for no earlier than May 2025, Ax-4 will send Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon rocket, making him the first Indian to reach the station and the second to go into space after Rakesh Sharma.
Shukla will serve as the Ax-4 mission pilot under commander Peggy Whitson, alongside astronauts from Poland and Hungary.
The crew will conduct over 60 research experiments during their 14-day stay aboard the ISS, including seven studies led by Isro in partnership with Nasa and ESA.
These span a wide spectrum, from studying algae growth in microgravity to exploring therapies for muscle loss and analysing the genetics of resilience in extreme environments.
The Ax-4 mission marks a key moment for India’s global scientific collaborations. Axiom Space says this will be its most research-intensive mission to date, involving 31 countries and paving the way for advanced microgravity research and Earth-bound benefits.
Group Captain Prashanth Nair has been named Shukla’s backup.
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