NASA, ISRO reviewing dates for launch of INDO-US joint NISAR mission.

US Space Agency NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are reviewing potential dates for the launch of INDO-US joint NISAR Satellite Mission. The satellite, to be placed in a Low Earth Orbit, has been tested at ISRO facility in Bengaluru and will be transported to the spaceport of Sriharikota, as per official information. The launch is likely either in May or June depending upon the availability of the launch window after undergoing further tests of satellite at the SHAR Range.

In an update, NASA in its website said Work on the NISAR satellite has been completed at the ISRO Satellite Integration and Testing Establishment in Bengaluru, and preparations are underway to transport it to the launch site at the agency’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on India’s southeastern coast. NASA and ISRO now are reviewing potential launch dates for the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission.

Launch services are provided by ISRO, using the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark-II rocket that will carry the spacecraft into a Low Earth Orbit. The launch readiness date for the mission will be determined by the two agencies in the coming weeks, NASA said. In fact, the Satellite was already shifted to Sriharikota from Bengaluru for the launch but has been taken back due to some technical glitch in reflector antenna, which is a crucial part of NISAR’s radar system.

A technical snag has temporarily delayed the mission, and it requires an application of thermal coating leading to its return to the US for rectification. This delay has pushed the launch date of NISAR to later in the year. The issue pertained to the NISAR satellite is the reflector antenna, which is 12 meters in diameter, was found to have a potential overheating problem during flight. The reflector antenna was returned to the US for a special thermal coating to prevent overheating. After the coating was applied, the antenna was returned to India for reintegration with the NISAR satellite and further testing said.

Team Maverick