Prepared Alaska Satellite Center Awaits Inflow of Radar Information

The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is preparing for the launch of a groundbreaking satellite, NISAR, which is set to revolutionize our understanding of our planet.

NISAR, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite jointly operated by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is the first of its kind since 1978. It will send a flood of data to Earth for global use after its launch. The data volume generated by NISAR is unprecedented in the field of Earth science, expected to generate about 40 petabytes of data annually, significantly more than the 2 petabytes currently archived annually from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellite by the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF).

One petabyte equals 1 million gigabytes, providing a perspective on the sheer amount of data NISAR will produce.

NISAR is unique as it will use dual-frequency L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar. This technology will provide more radar imagery and cover more surface area than other satellites. The satellite's launch and the data it will provide are considered tremendous technical achievements.

ASF, which specializes in synthetic aperture radar, is one of four facilities collecting NISAR data for NASA. The team at ASF has spent many years working with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to make the NISAR dataset accessible to the scientific community.

Upon launch, NISAR's L-band radar will cover nearly all of Earth's land surfaces, glaciers, and coastal regions twice every twelve days. The mission's goal is to monitor and measure surface changes such as land subsidence, seismic movements, glacier and ice sheet changes, and sea levels.

The data, besides being provided by the Alaska Satellite Facility (USA), are also distributed to various research institutions internationally. Key partners include NASA (USA), ISRO (India), and international collaborators from countries such as the United States and India. Specific other institutions beyond the Alaska Satellite Facility commonly include NASA centers and cooperating international research organizations tied to these countries.

ASF will archive and distribute all NASA-collected L-band SAR data and some selected S-band SAR data acquired over the United States. The Indian Space Research Organization's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle launched the NISAR satellite on July 30, 2025.

According to ASF's Albright, the launch of NISAR marks a new chapter in Earth science. Meyer, from ASF, emphasizes that everything they do is designed with the goal of making the NISAR data useful to the scientific community. The data from NISAR is expected to provide great advances in understanding our planet.

In conclusion, the launch of NISAR is a significant milestone in Earth science. Its unique technology and vast amount of data will undoubtedly provide valuable insights into our planet's changes and help scientists better understand and predict natural phenomena.