earth · Operational
NISAR
A joint NASA-ISRO radar satellite that maps the deformation of nearly all of Earth's land and ice every twelve days.
Access the data
NISAR carries two synthetic aperture radars (NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band) on one 12-metre deployable mesh reflector. Two wavelengths on the same platform see different things: L-band penetrates vegetation to the ground beneath, S-band resolves the canopy and surface texture above it.
Radar does not care about cloud or darkness, which is what makes a twelve-day global repeat meaningful. Ground motion of a centimetre (a swelling volcano, a subsiding aquifer, a creeping landslide) shows up as an interferometric fringe.
The mission entered its science phase in 2025, and S-band SAR data products are now released publicly, including soil moisture products at 100 m resolution.