All articles tagged with #earth observing satellite
SpaceX launched its first mission of 2026, deploying an Italian Earth-observing satellite into low Earth orbit using a Falcon 9 rocket from California. The satellite will use synthetic aperture radar to monitor Earth for various applications, marking the start of a busy year for space launches.
India's ISRO has prepared the U.S.-Indian NISAR Earth-observing satellite for launch on July 30, a joint NASA-ISRO project that will study Earth's land, ice, and oceans using synthetic aperture radar from orbit, aiming to improve understanding of land deformation, ecosystems, and oceanic regions.
Rocket Lab successfully launched a BlackSky Earth-observing satellite into low Earth orbit using its Electron rocket from New Zealand, marking the second of four planned launches for BlackSky's Gen-3 satellite constellation in 2025.
The joint NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite, a trailblazing Earth-observing radar satellite, has successfully completed a 21-day thermal vacuum test in Bengaluru, India. The test evaluated the satellite's ability to function in extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space. Scheduled to launch in early 2024, NISAR will monitor the motion of Earth's land and ice, track dynamic changes in forests and agricultural lands, and observe movements from earthquakes and volcanic activity. This collaboration between NASA and ISRO marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission.
NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are collaborating on the development of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, set to launch in 2024. NISAR will continuously scan Earth's surface using radar, with a focus on tracking changes in landscapes over time. The satellite will observe Earth's forests and wetlands, crucial carbon sinks that play a role in mitigating climate change. NISAR aims to provide a comprehensive view of how Earth's land and ice are changing, helping scientists better understand carbon sources and sinks from terrestrial ecosystems.
The HOTSAT-1 satellite, developed and operated by SatVu, has captured the first images revealing temperature differences on Earth's surface in unprecedented detail. With a resolution of 33 feet (10 meters), the satellite's camera can even capture short video sequences. The high-resolution thermal imaging provided by HOTSAT-1 could aid firefighters in monitoring wildfires and help city planners understand how heat escapes from buildings, pipelines, and factories, enabling them to make future infrastructure more energy efficient. This new capability could contribute to the fight against climate change. SatVu plans to launch additional satellites to monitor temperature changes on Earth's surface in even greater detail.