NISAR mission to astronauts, check out the projects NASA and ISRO are working on

During his visit to the White House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced NASA collaboration on various Space exploration programs with ISRO.

The recent NASA and ISRO collaboration involves the launch of a remote sensing satellite named NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR). (PTI)

India and the United States are set to embark on a groundbreaking collaboration in space exploration, marking a significant milestone in their space partnership. The announcement came after NASA Chief Bill Nelson met with Union Minister Jitendra Singh in New Delhi. The recent NASA and ISRO collaboration involves the launch of a remote sensing satellite named NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) in the first quarter of the upcoming year. Apart from this, there are various other projects on which ISRO and NASA will work together.

NISAR Satelite

The NISAR satellite will launch aboard India's GSLV. This project aims to enhance Earth observation capabilities to focus on studying diverse aspects such as land ecosystems, solid earth deformation, polar cryosphere, sea ice, and coastal oceans. Scientific payloads for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) have been delivered to India and will be launched in 2024.

During the meeting, Chief Bill Nelson congratulated the Union Minister on the historic Chandrayaan-3 landing on the Moon's untouched South Polar region. Nelson further urged an acceleration of programs related to India's first astronaut aboard a NASA rocket to the International Space Station (ISS). The two nations had previously agreed to a two-week joint space flight, and NASA is actively exploring opportunities for Indian astronauts in the Private Astronaut Mission scheduled for 2024.

India- NASA collaboration

During his visit to the White House earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced multiple space-related agreements with the USA. According to a fact sheet issued by the White House, ISRO and NASA will work on several space exploration programs together. Take a look at the list below:

• India signed the Artemis Accords, which is a commitment to peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation that will enable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. It became the 27th signatory to sign this accord.
• NASA will help train ISRO astronauts in Texas, with a longer-term goal of launching a joint mission to the ISS in 2024.
• The ISRO and NASA are collaborating on a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation. It is set to be accomplished by the end of the year.
• $318 million investment has been approved for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in India.

This international collaboration on space exploration programs will enhance the level of projects and will help ISRO and NASA scientists to share their knowledge with each other to carry out successful missions together.