The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief, S Somanath, clarified on Saturday that the joint satellite mission undertaken with the United States' NASA is not geared towards surveillance but is focused on studying the Earth with an emphasis on sustainability.

The collaborative effort between ISRO and NASA aims to develop a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite dedicated to comprehensively studying Earth's dynamics in light of climate change impacts.

"The next mission of GSLV (rocket) is going to be the NISAR mission-- the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, which is a very big satellite. The configuration and capability of the rocket has been steadily increasing in terms of payload capability as well as volume which is going to be extremely useful", he said.

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Responding to queries, Somanath said that NISAR is not intended for surveillance purposes. The satellite is equipped with two radars: an 'L' band radar manufactured by the US and an 'S' band radar made in India. The data collected by NISAR will be in the public domain and shared between the US and India.

"NISAR is not a surveillance satellite." "It is purely meant for some application....it has two Radars--one is an 'L' band radar and the other is 'S' band radar. 'S' band radar is Made by India and 'L' band radar is made by the US," he said.

The NISAR mission has a multifaceted focus, with capabilities to capture high-precision images of Earth's surface for up to 12-14 days. It can assess water resources, monitor agriculture, evaluate green cover, and delve into earth subsurface to analyse water availability in arid regions.

NISAR is geared towards advancing sustainability, environmental monitoring, and understanding the impacts of climate change on Earth's ecosystems. Its primary objectives encompass addressing critical issues such as water management, agricultural sustainability, and environmental changes precipitated by climate dynamics.

"The satellite would also be able to measure water, agriculture, coverage of greenery across the Earth's surface, and so many other parameters. It also has the ability to penetrate into the Earth to look at the availability of water in arid areas," he said.

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The successful launch of GSLV-F14 INSAT-3DS satellite marks another milestone in India's space exploration endeavors, depicting ISRO's commitment to advancing scientific research and technological innovation on a global scale.

(With agency inputs)