The NISAR satellite was launched using ISRO's GSLV-F16 rocket, which was scheduled to place the satellite into a 743-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit, almost 20 minutes after lift-off.

The NISAR satellite was launched using ISRO's GSLV-F16 rocket, which was scheduled to place the satellite into a 743-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit, almost 20 minutes after lift-off.

The NISAR satellite was launched using ISRO's GSLV-F16 rocket, which was scheduled to place the satellite into a 743-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit, almost 20 minutes after lift-off.

The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) was launched on Wednesday, flagging off a historic collaboration between the Indian and American space agencies.

NISAR, which is the first joint satellite between the two nations, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

It was launched using ISRO's GSLV-F16 rocket, which was scheduled to place NISAR into a 743-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit, almost 20 minutes after lift-off.

NASA has explained that NISAR—the first of its kind in space—was designed to provide a "detailed view of the Earth", so as to observe and measure certain complex processes on the planet, by monitoring changes on the planet's surface: even those as small as a centimetre.

Ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapse, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater issues are some processes set to be studied in further detail.

(This is a developing story.)

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