Chennai: The United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) today launched a groundbreaking radar satellite designed to monitor subtle changes in land surfaces and ice sheets on Earth. The satellite aims to aid in forecasting both natural hazards and those resulting from human activities. According to Qatar News Agency, the satellite, named NISAR and roughly the size of a small truck, lifted off at 12:10 GMT from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, located on India's southeastern coast. It was deployed via a geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle operated by ISRO. With a mission budget of $1.3 billion, scientists say NISAR will empower meteorologists and emergency responders to better anticipate floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and other environmental disasters. Now orbiting Earth after its launch from India, NISAR will scan the planet's terrain repeatedly using dual radar systems, one provided by NASA and the other by ISRO, operat ing both day and night to observe clouds, rainfall, and vegetation. This will result in a substantial amount of detailed data. Ahead of the launch, Nicky Fox, head of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, mentioned that this is a unique radar satellite that will transform how scientists study the home planet, helping in more accurate predictions of natural disasters before they occur.