Significantly, the data obtained by NISAR will help scientists better manage some of Earth’s most critical uncertainties, such as melting sea ice, groundwater supply, and natural hazards. It will also add to our understanding of our planet’s hard outer layer, called its crust.
NISAR: A first-of-its-kind in space
NISAR’s science payload will consist of two radar systems- one built by NASA and the other by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It will also have the largest radar antenna of its kind: a drum-shaped wire mesh reflector with a diameter of about 40 feet (12 meters) extending from a 30-foot (9-meter) boom.
NISAR will also be the first such radar in space to routinely survey Earth to assess changes in our planet’s surface less than a centimeter across utilizing two separate radar frequencies (L-band and S-band).
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) creates high-resolution images from a resolution-limited radar system resolution. It needs the radar to travel in a straight line- either on an aircraft or, as with NISAR, orbiting in space.
By surpassing the physical limitations of resolution in space, SAR can produce images and scientific data of a considerably higher caliber than would be achievable with the antenna size alone.
