The U.S.-India NISAR satellite has begun continuously releasing calibrated radar observations to the public, giving scientists and emergency planners a new stream of data for studying movement across Earth's land and ice surfaces.\n\nNASA said its U.S. team started releasing calibrated products on July 20 for L-band measurements collected since June 17. India's science team has separately begun distributing S-band observations. Earlier mission releases were limited samples or pre-calibrated products.\n\nThe two radar wavelengths reveal different features. L-band signals can penetrate tree canopies and some snow or ice, while S-band measurements can provide complementary information about vegetation. The spacecraft surveys nearly all land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days and produces dozens of terabytes of data daily.\n\nAn Antarctic image released with the announcement shows crevasses around Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja, a mountaintop amid flowing ice. The colors represent how polarized radar signals interacted with smooth and fractured surfaces; they are not natural-color photography.\n\nSource: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory — https://www.nasa.gov/missions/nisar/us-india-satellite-delivers-data-reveals-hummingbird-in-antarctica/\n\nSource: NASA NISAR mission overview — https://science.nasa.gov/mission/nisar/\n\nSource: Alaska Satellite Facility data archive — https://search.asf.alaska.edu/
TechnologyJuly 22, 2026
U.S.-India satellite begins continuous release of Earth radar data
NASA and India's space agency have opened access to calibrated NISAR radar products designed to track changes in land, ice, forests and natural hazards.

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