The U.S.-India NISAR satellite has begun continuously releasing calibrated radar observations to the public, giving scientists and emergency planners a new stream of data for studying movement across Earth's land and ice surfaces.

NASA said its U.S. team started releasing calibrated products on July 20 for L-band measurements collected since June 17. India's science team has separately begun distributing S-band observations. Earlier mission releases were limited samples or pre-calibrated products.

The two radar wavelengths reveal different features. L-band signals can penetrate tree canopies and some snow or ice, while S-band measurements can provide complementary information about vegetation. The spacecraft surveys nearly all land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days and produces dozens of terabytes of data daily.

An Antarctic image released with the announcement shows crevasses around Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja, a mountaintop amid flowing ice. The colors represent how polarized radar signals interacted with smooth and fractured surfaces; they are not natural-color photography.

Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory — nasa.gov source ↗

Source: NASA NISAR mission overview — science.nasa.gov source ↗

Source: Alaska Satellite Facility data archive — search.asf.alaska.edu source ↗