The Indian Parliament has been informed that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are working together on the development of a Dual Frequency (L&S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging satellite, according to a report in the The Statesman online infosite.

Named NISAR, the satellite is expected to be completed by 2021—the ISRO will be responsible for design and development of S-band SAR, spacecraft bus, data transmission system, spacecraft integration and testing, the launch using a heavy rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) and on orbit operations.

JPL will be responsible for design and development of the L-band SAR, the 12 meter unfurlable antenna and all deployment elements, the global positioning system (GPS) and data recorder.

The L- and S-band microwave data obtained from this satellite will possess a variety of uses, some of which will include natural resources mapping and monitoring, estimating agricultural biomass over full duration of crop cycle, assessing soil moisture, monitoring of floods and oil slicks, coastal erosion, coastline changes and variation of winds in coastal waters, assessment of mangroves, surface deformation studies and more.

The joint science observation plan has been documented by both Indian and American scientists. The core science teams of India and US meet every six months to discuss various observation requirements and strategies of science observation.