India took a big step in space and climate research on Wednesday. The NISAR satellite was launched successfully from Sriharikota at 5:40 pm. It was sent into space using ISRO’s GSLV rocket.

NISAR is a joint project between ISRO (India) and NASA (USA). The mission costs $1.5 billion. It will help track climate changes and natural disasters across the world.

The 2,393 kg satellite is the first of its kind. It uses two types of radar — L-band from NASA and S-band from ISRO. This helps it spot even the smallest changes on Earth, like land movement or ice melting. It can see through clouds, forests, and even in the dark.

NISAR goes around Earth every 97 minutes. It will map most of the land and ice areas once every 12 days with very clear pictures.

This launch is a major achievement for both India and global science.