Published:
September 26, 2025
3 min read
On Aug. 23, NISAR imaged land adjacent to northeastern North Dakota’s Forest River. Light-colored wetlands and forests line the river’s banks, while circular and rectangular plots throughout the image appear in shades that indicate the land may be pasture or cropland with corn or soy. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In a dazzling display of international collaboration and cutting-edge technology, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, affectionately known as NISAR, has beamed back its first images of Earth, offering a breathtaking preview of the scientific revolution it promises to ignite.
Launched on July 30, 2025, from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, NISAR is the product of a historic partnership between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy hailed the mission as “a testament to what can be achieved when we unite around a shared vision of innovation and discovery”.
He said, “Launched under President Trump in conjunction with India, NISAR’s first images are a testament to what can be achieved when we unite around a shared vision of innovation and discovery. This is only the beginning. NASA will continue to build upon the incredible scientific advancements of the past and present as we pursue our goal to maintain our nation’s space dominance through Gold Standard Science.”
This billion-dollar spacecraft is the first of its kind to carry both L-band and S-band radar systems, enabling it to peer through clouds, forest canopies, and even soil to monitor Earth’s surface with unprecedented clarity. It’s a scientific Swiss Army knife, capable of tracking everything from crop health to tectonic shifts.
The satellite’s first snapshots, captured in August, are nothing short of mesmerizing. On August 21, NISAR’s L-band radar scanned Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine. The image reveals a tapestry of forests, waterways, and urban structures, with magenta hues marking buildings and bare ground, green for vegetation, and dark patches for water bodies.
Just two days later, the radar turned its gaze to northeastern North Dakota, capturing a vivid mosaic of farmland, wetlands, and forests. Circular irrigation patterns and crop plots, including those for soybeans and corn, are clearly distinguishable, showcasing the radar’s ability to resolve features as small as 15 feet (4.6 meters) in diameter.
Captured on Aug. 21, this image from NISAR’s L-band radar shows Maine’s Mount Desert Island. Green indicates forest; magenta represents hard or regular surfaces, like bare ground and buildings. The magenta area on the island’s northeast end is the town of Bar Harbor. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
These images aren’t just pretty pictures. They’re powerful tools for decision-makers across the globe. NISAR’s radar can detect subtle changes in land — such as soil moisture, ice movement, and vegetation growth, making it invaluable for:
Disaster response: Predicting and assessing damage from floods, landslides, and earthquakes.
Infrastructure monitoring: Tracking land deformation that could affect roads, bridges, and buildings.
Agricultural management: Measuring crop health and irrigation efficiency across seasons.
NASA’s Nicky Fox emphasized that these early images are “These initial images are just a preview of the hard-hitting science that NISAR will produce, data and insights that will enable scientists to study Earth’s changing land and ice surfaces in unprecedented detail while equipping decision-makers to respond to natural disasters and other challenges.”
“They are also a testament to the years of hard work of hundreds of scientists and engineers from both sides of the world to build an observatory with the most advanced radar system ever launched by NASA and ISRO.”
The satellite orbits Earth at 464 miles (747 kilometers) and will scan the planet’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. Its massive 39-foot (12-meter) antenna, the largest NASA has ever launched, ensures wide coverage and high-resolution data.
ISRO’s S-band radar complements NASA’s L-band system by being more sensitive to small vegetation, making it ideal for monitoring grasslands and certain crops. Together, they form a dual-band powerhouse capable of capturing Earth’s dynamic surface in all weather conditions.
NISAR is more than a scientific instrument; it’s a symbol of global cooperation. From ISRO’s spacecraft bus and launch vehicle to NASA’s radar systems and data networks, every component reflects years of collaboration between two spacefaring nations.
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya summed it up best: “This is a remarkable example of how partnership and collaboration between two nations, on opposite sides of the world, can achieve great things together for the benefit of all.”
With full science operations set to begin in November, NISAR is poised to become one of the most powerful Earth-observing satellites ever deployed. Its data will fuel research, guide policy, and help humanity better understand, and protect, our fragile planet.
As we look to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, NISAR reminds us that the journey begins here, on Earth, and that the best way forward is together.
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