Unlike optical sensors, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at the heart of the Nisar mission doesn’t rely on visible light. SAR us...
Unlike optical sensors, the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at the heart of the Nisar mission doesn’t rely on visible light. SAR uses microwaves, allowing satellites to “see” through clouds and operate day or night. This makes it a powerful tool for monitoring everything - from Antarctic ice to earthquakes and deforestation.
SAR can observe surface change in any weather, at any time, making it essential for studying Earth’s dynamic systems. It supports disaster response, environmental monitoring, and climate science. For example, SAR can measure how much a glacier has retreated, track soil moisture changes during droughts, or detect whether land near a fault line has subtly shifted.
According to Charles Elachi, a former director of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, puts it: "SAR allows us to refine things very accurately. By capturing frequent and detailed images of the same locations, missions like Nisar can monitor change over time — turning raw radar echoes into critical knowledge about Earth’s evolving surface.
SAR can observe surface change in any weather, at any time, making it essential for studying Earth’s dynamic systems. It supports disaster response, environmental monitoring, and climate science. For example, SAR can measure how much a glacier has retreated, track soil moisture changes during droughts, or detect whether land near a fault line has subtly shifted.
According to Charles Elachi, a former director of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, puts it: "SAR allows us to refine things very accurately. By capturing frequent and detailed images of the same locations, missions like Nisar can monitor change over time — turning raw radar echoes into critical knowledge about Earth’s evolving surface.