ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan stated that the successful launch of the NISAR satellite was one of the most precise launches globally. He noted NASA's excitement that India was able to successfully carry out the mission using the indigenously developed GSLV Mark vehicle. Narayanan made these remarks to reporters on Thursday night at the international airport, a day after ISRO successfully placed the NISAR (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission into orbit onboard a GSLV-16 rocket from the spaceport.
"They were so excited to understand that Indians could successfully launch [the satellite] using the indigenously developed GSLV Mark vehicle—our own vehicle—for placing the satellite into orbit. They were excited and extremely happy," he said in response to a query.
According to Narayanan, the launch was exceptionally precise, with a five-stage rocket operating flawlessly at every stage. This allowed the satellite to be injected into its precise orbit with a margin of just two to three kilometers.
"It is an unimaginable achievement even for them," the ISRO chairman added.
"It is one of the most precise launches that has ever happened in the world...The entire country today can be proud that a very technologically intensive and highly useful satellite built jointly by India and America is placed in orbit using the Indian launcher," he concluded.
NISAR mission:
The NISAR mission aims to take detailed images of the Earth's surface from space, scanning the entire planet every 12 days, regardless of the weather or time of day. This technology can even pick up tiny changes, as small as a few centimeters. Dr. Paul Rosen, who is leading the project, highlighted the mission's impressive capabilities: “NISAR mission is an amazing watershed mission with two powerful radar systems... giving us incredible detail on the motion of the Earth, the changes in the ecosystems and the cryosphere".
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