NISAR Hub
The NASA-ISRO SAR mission (NISAR) is managed and developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The mission will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater, and will support a host of other applications.
NISAR will observe Earth’s land and ice-covered surfaces globally with 12-day regularity on ascending and descending passes, sampling Earth on average every 6 days for a baseline 3-year mission.
Learn more about NISAR: https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/
Overview
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) project is a collaborative effort between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). NISAR represents a groundbreaking venture in Earth observation, leveraging advanced radar technology to provide unprecedented insights into the dynamics of the planet’s surface.
At its core, NISAR is designed to deliver high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging capabilities, making it a powerful tool for monitoring and studying various Earth processes. The mission aims to enhance our understanding of critical phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanoes, subsidence, and other geophysical events. By employing dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar, NISAR will generate precise measurements of surface deformations, facilitating comprehensive studies of Earth’s changing landscapes.
The project’s significance lies not only in its technological prowess but also in its global impact. NISAR is expected to contribute significantly to climate research, ecosystem monitoring, and disaster management. The collaboration between NASA and ISRO underscores the international scientific community’s commitment to advancing our knowledge of Earth and addressing global challenges collaboratively.
As NISAR progresses towards its anticipated launch, the project stands as a testament to the cooperative spirit of space exploration, bringing together the expertise of two leading space agencies. Through its cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary applications, NISAR promises to be a valuable asset for scientists, researchers, and policymakers alike, fostering a deeper understanding of our planet’s dynamic processes.
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User Guide
The NISAR satellite has two fully capable synthetic aperture radar instruments (24 cm wavelength L-SAR and 10 cm wavelength S-SAR).
This page will show global data coverage as the data become available.
NISAR Instrumentation
| Planned Launch Date | 2025 |
| Orbit Altitude | 747 km |
| Orbit Inclination | 98.4º |
| Repeat Cycle | 12 days |
| Time of Nodal Crossing | 6 AM / 6 PM |
| Orbit Control | < 500m |
| Pointing Control | < 273 arcsec |
| Pointing | Left (south) |
| L/S Duty | > 50% / 10% |
| Baseline Mission Duration | 3 years |
| Consumables | 5 years |
| Data and Product Access | Free and open |
| Wavelength | L-band: 24 cm |
| Wavelength | S-band: 9 cm |
| SAR Resolution | 3-10 m mode-dependent |
The L-band SAR is capable of 242-kilometer swaths with 7-meter resolution along-track (the direction of travel) and 2- to 8-m resolution cross-track, depending on the viewing mode. This radar comprises 24 L-band transmit/receive array elements in 2 rows, 12 per polarization.
The 12cm wavelength S-band SAR supplied by ISRO is the secondary radar and comprises 48 S-band transmit/receive array elements in 2 rows, 24 per polarization.
NASA provides a high-capacity solid-state recorder (approximately 9 Tbits at end of life), GPS, 3.5 Gbps Ka-band telecom system, and an engineering payload to coordinate an imaging swath greater than 150 miles (240 km). This design permits complete global coverage every 12-days,
NISAR Products
NISAR Level 0
Naming convention for NISAR L0A
Naming convention for NISAR L0B
| Product | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Radar Raw Science Telemetry (L0A) (RRST) | L0A | This L0A product is the raw downlinked data delivered to SDS. Communication wrapping has been removed |
| Radar Raw Signal Data (L0B) (RRSD) | L0B | This L0B product is corrected, aligned radar pulse data derived from the RRST products and used for further processing. |
NISAR Level 1
| Product | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Range Doppler Single Look Complex (RSLC) | L1 | Focused SAR Imagery in range-Doppler coordinates. |
| Range Doppler Interferogram (RIFG) | L1 | Multi-looked flattened (ellipsoid) interferogram in range-Doppler coordinates with no removal of topographic fringes. Formed using high-res offsets. |
| Range Doppler Unwrapped Interferogram (RUNW) | L1 | Multi-looked unwrapped differential interferogram in range-Doppler coordinates with topo fringes removed. |
| Range Doppler pixel Offsets (ROFF) | L1 | Raw pixel offsets layers in range and azimuth directions derived by speckle tracking with different resolutions (e.g., different chip and search window size) in range-Doppler coordinates. |
NISAR Level 1, 2 & 3 products
Naming convention for the following NISAR Level 1, 2 & 3 products: RSLC, GSLC, GCOV, SME2
Naming convention for the following NISAR Level 1 & 2 products: RIFG, RUNW, GUNW, ROFF, GOFF
| Product | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Geocoded Single Look Complex (GSLC) | L2 | Geocoded SLC product using the MOE state vectors and a DEM. |
| Geocoded Unwrapped Interferogram (GUNW) | L2 | Geocoded, multi-looked unwrapped differential Interferogram. |
| Geocoded Polarimetric Covariance (GCOV) | L2 | Geocoded, multi-looked polarimetric covariance matrix. |
| Geocoded pixel Offsets (GOFF) | L2 | Raw pixel offsets in range and azimuth directions derived by speckle tracking with different resolutions (e.g., different chip and search window size) in geocoded coordinates. |
NISAR Level 3
See the above naming convention for the following NISAR Level 1, 2 & 3 products: RSLC, GSLC, GCOV, SME2
| Product | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Soil Moisture (SME2) | L3 | TBD |
NISAR Citation Information
How to cite NISAR data: This information will be available soon.
Discover NISAR products
The NISAR products can be accessed at ASF DAAC:
Data Discovery Tools
| Data Discovery Tool | Link |
|---|---|
| ASF Vertex Data Search | Vertex |
| Python Search Module | asf_search |
| ASF Search API | ASF Search API |
| NASA Earthdata Search | Earthdata Search |
Learn more about ASF Data Discovery Services