GSLV Mk II F16? : NISAR : SLP : NET March 2025

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasajpl/status/1679615984720805888

A powerful Earth-observing satellite is coming together!

The @NASA-@ISRO NISAR mission is currently in assembly and testing in Bengaluru, India. Set for launch in 2024, NISAR will study Earth's changing land and ice surfaces. go.nasa.gov/43q7Re1

[vyoma]

SRO announces NISAR Utilization Programme,  a chance to access & analyze data from the 🇺🇸🇮🇳NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite mission.

NISAR offers high-resolution imaging & aims to study Earth's ecosystems, cryosphere, solid earth science, and coastal ocean processes to address global environmental changes & natural hazards. 🛰️🌿https://isro.gov.in/NISARSatellite.html

Indian researchers can submit project proposals on diverse applications like agriculture, forestry, disaster management & more using NISAR's L & S-band SAR data, by Oct 31, 2023.

Funding support is available for selected projects.

https://twitter.com/isro/status/1684781939612659712

https://www.sac.gov.in/data/Event/524/NISAR_Utilization_Programme_Jul_2023.pdf

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasajpl/status/1724527001250517193

Before #NISAR begins its Earth-observing mission, the spacecraft must prove it can withstand the harsh environment of space.

At an @ISRO facility in India, NISAR underwent 3 weeks of intensive thermal vacuum testing – and met all of its requirements! ✅

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/trailblazing-new-earth-satellite-put-to-test-in-preparation-for-launch

[sanman]

[GewoonLukas_]

NET Late-February / Early-March:

Three launches in Q1: ISRO's upcoming missions in 2024
Hindustan Times Dec 22, 2023

[...]

Officials also said the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar mission (NISAR) — India’s collaborative mission with the US space agency — is also expected to take flight in the first quarter of next year, possibly around late February or early March.

[...]

[GewoonLukas_]

Scheduled for March 30th:

India launches X-ray astronomy satellite
January 1, 2024

[...]

ISRO expects to roughly double that launch rate in 2024, with 12 to 14 launches planned for the year. Among them will be the GSLV launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth science mission, a joint effort of the two space agencies. That mission is slated for launch on March 30, NASA officials said at a session of the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December.

[...]

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

Per NOTAM below, launch NET January 10, 11:30 - 15:30 UTC:

E) GSLV-F14 ROCKET LAUNCH FM SHAR RANGE,SRIHARIKOTA WILL TAKE <snip>

Confirms this will be F14, which leaves F13 skipped (possibly NISAR?)

Highly likely F13 will be skipped over. ISRO has a history of skipping over the number "13" in it's mission numbering. PSLV-C13 and GSAT-13 were both skipped over in this way. NISAR mission should be F15.

[TheVarun]

So delayed 3 months or more? What launches can be expected between now and June?

[DanClemmensen]

I think it is a big mistake for NASA to trust ISRO to launch this payload on their dodgy underperforming "GSLV" rocket. There is still time to switch to a LVM3 or launch on a higher quality American launcher like the Falcon-9 or Atlas-V. At a development cost of $2 billion+ and 10 years in the making a launch failure would be the worst kind of failure for the NISAR program.

Atlas V is retiring, and all 17 remaining Atlas V have already been allocated. A payload cannot be shifted to a new LV instantly. It takes time. For example When OneWeb lost access to Soyuz they announced a switch to Falcon 9 in March 2022, but the first Falcon 9 launch was in December 2022.

[Skyrocket]

I think it is a big mistake for NASA to trust ISRO to launch this payload on their dodgy underperforming "GSLV" rocket. There is still time to switch to a LVM3 or launch on a higher quality American launcher like the Falcon-9 or Atlas-V. At a development cost of $2 billion+ and 10 years in the making a launch failure would be the worst kind of failure for the NISAR program.

NISAR is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission’s L-band SAR. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem. URSC, which is leading the ISRO component of the mission, is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band SAR electronics, the launch vehicle, and associated launch services and satellite mission operations.

As the launch of the joint NASA-ISRO mission is ISRO's responsibility, it would be ISRO's choice to change the launch vehicle.

[TheVarun]

^^^

Nice! When can we realistically expect NISAR to be launched? Is the March 30th date still good. It was referred to not long back by NASA itself

[GewoonLukas_]

NET Late-May:

NISAR Launch Delayed to Late May for Further Testing
21.03.2024

The joint NASA-ISRO mission to launch the groundbreaking NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite faces a delay, with the launch window pushed to late May 2024.

While the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed the designated Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) will be ready by March-April, the complex radar instrument's final testing and integration into the satellite require additional time.

Prioritizing Pre-Launch Accuracy​
The delay prioritizes comprehensive testing to ensure flawless functionality of NISAR's instruments before launch.

[...]

[zubenelgenubi]

Another piece of circumstantial evidence that the launch vehicle will be F15; cross-post; document attached to the original post:

IN-SPACe launch manifesto has been released:

Q4 FY 2023-24: (1 January 2024 - 30 March 2024)
- PSLV C58 / ISRO Payload XPoSat + POEM-3 with 9 payloads
- GSLV F14 / ISRO Payload Insat-3DS
- AGNIBAAN-SORTeD (Suborbital mission)
- SSLV D3 / ISRO Primary Payload, Space Rickshaw & IITMSat

FY 2024-25 Commercial Missions:
Q1: (1 April 2024 - 30 June 2024)
- PSLV C59 / NSIL Primary Payload, SCOT, CGUSAT, LEAP-1

- VIKRAM-1: TBD

Q2: (1 July 2024 - 30 September 2024)
- LVM3 M5 / NSIL Payload

- VIKRAM-1: TBD

Q3: (1 October 2024 - 31 December 2024)
- PSLV C62 / PROBA-3
- PSLV N1 / TDS-01
- SSLV S1 / TBD, PARIKSHIT

- VIKRAM-1: TBD
- AGNIBAAN: TBD

Q4: (1 January 2025 - 30 March 2025)
- PSLV N2 / TBD, Aadyah, DRISHTI, Sanskardhaam, DS P30
- SSLV S2 / TBD, Azista60°

- VIKRAM-1: TBD
- AGNIBAAN: TBD

FY 2024-25 ISRO/User-funded Missions: (No specific quarters given)
- PSLV C60 / ISRO Payload + POEM-4
- GSLV F15 / ISRO Payload
- PSLV C61 / ISRO Payload
- GSLV F16 / ISRO Payload
- PSLV C63 / ISRO Payloads
- GSLV F17 / ISRO Payload

Note:
[...]
- In addition, seven test launches pertaining to Gaganyaan are also scheduled during the period.
[...]

[GewoonLukas_]

Launch is currently expected No Later Then October 2024. If it delays past October, the launch will be No Earlier Then January 2025:

GAO: Assessments of Major Projects
June 2024

[...]

Cost and Schedule Status
[...]
The project has experienced delays during testing due to the late delivery of the spacecraft and technical issues that arose. As a result, program officials told us that they anticipate missing the internal program launch date of March 2024, but they do not expect the launch to be delayed past October 2024. Project officials indicated that there is an eclipse season every year between October and January during which NISAR cannot launch. If the launch were to slip past October 2024, NISAR could not launch until January 2025.

[...]

[StraumliBlight]

NISAR Amendment 33

The launch date for NISAR has slipped to early 2025 because of technical issues with the radar reflector.

[zubenelgenubi]

No mention of NISAR, which matches launch delay to NET January 2025/early 2025:

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 426 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2024

426. SMT. APARAJITA SARANGI:
Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state: that the details of the India's space programmes and missions to be launched in the year 2024?

ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):
***
Following are the space programmes & missions planned in the year 2024.
i. Three PSLV missions, two of which are technology demonstration missions (TDS-01 & SPADEX) and one dedicated commercial mission for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
ii. One GSLV mission to launch NVS-02 Navigation Satellite
iii. One SSLV mission, to launch a technology demonstration Satellite (EOS-08).
iv. First unmanned flight under Gaganyaan Programme (HLVM3-G1)
[...]

[GewoonLukas_]

Work on NASA’s NISAR Reflector Complete
October 10, 2024

A’s NISAR Reflector Complete
Work on the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) radar antenna reflector is done, and NASA expects to transport the reflector to India before the end of the year.

The current eclipse season is underway now through February 2025.

During the eclipse season, the periods of alternating sunlight and shadows due to the position of the Sun produce temperature fluctuations on the observatory that could adversely affect deployment of NISAR’s boom and radar antenna reflector. As a result, NISAR will launch in early 2025. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will coordinate to determine an official launch readiness date.

[StraumliBlight]

NISAR was flown from Wallops by C-130 on October 15th and landed in Bangalore on October 22nd.

[input~2]

"Integration of the radar antenna reflector with the satellite will take about two months," Somanath stated, adding that the mission’s launch is slated for February.

source [Oct 26]

[zubenelgenubi]

Launch vehicle F16?

Scheduled for NET December 31st, but could delay into January:

TOI Isro gears up for multiple launches
Nov 24, 2024

[...]

Somanath said that a third launch, that of a GSLV, carrying India’s navigation satellite NVS-2, is being targeted for Dec 31.

“This GSLV was originally for Nisar. It was supposed to be launched and we couldn’t make the launch so then we got the NVS-2 NavIc satellite ready.

It’s almost completed now. We need to complete this mission building another GSLV for Nisar, which is now scheduled for next year. We are aiming for Dec 31 (NavIC mission), but we’ll take a call a bit later on this. It could even be Jan,” Somanath said.