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| NASA administrator Bill Nelson poses for a picture with former Indian Astronaut Rakesh Sharma, during a conversation with NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) at VITM Auditorium, in Bengaluru, India November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Nivedita Bhattacharjee |
“There is an opportunity to share science,” Nelson said, speaking at an event in Bengaluru, where he is due to inspect the NISAR satellite on Thursday.
NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a low-Earth orbit observatory system jointly developed by NASA and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). Roughly the size of an SUV, the satellite is set to be launched from India in the first quarter of next year, with a target launch set for January.
NISAR will map the entire planet once every 12 days, providing data for understanding changes in ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, ground water and natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.
India is aiming to increase its share of the global satellite launch market fivefold within the next decade and agreed to join NASA’s Artemis Accords in June this year.
The accords aim to clarify and modernize principles of the widely ratified 1967 Outer Space Treaty by urging scientific transparency and establishing rules of coordination to avoid harmful interference in space and on the moon.
India in August won a race to reach the south pole of the moon against Russia after Russia’s Luna-25 lander crashed from orbit. With western sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, the country might find it difficult to fund a successor.
China, which made the first ever soft landing on the far side of the moon in 2019, has more missions planned too after having spent $12 billion on its space programme in 2022, according to estimates. The US, meanwhile, is on track to spend roughly $93 billion on its Artemis moon programme through 2025.
“This is the golden age of space exploration,” Nelson said at Wednesday’s event.
Final supermoon of 2020 above Hanoi sky
A supermoon happens when the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit. Supermoons make the moon appear a little brighter and closer than normal, although the difference is hard to spot with the naked eye.
Vietnam could observe super blood moon eclipse today
Observers in several parts of Vietnam will be able to see on Wednesday a total lunar eclipse as the moon draws closest to Earth.
Majestic super blood moon observing on May 26
On May 26, people in Vietnam and all over the world admired the stunning the sight of super blood moon eclipse, a total of 20 years following the previous one.
India’s 1st Privately-Built Rocket Vikram-S Launch Shortly: 10 Points
Vikram-S is one of the world’s first few all-composite rockets that has 3-D printed solid thrusters for spin stability of the launch vehicle, according to news agency PTI.
India’s First Private Rocket Signals a Foray into a Field Dominated by Governments
C. Raja Mohan writes: India has much distance to travel before it catches up with the rest of the world in private sector participation in space programmes.
