The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. Photo: NASA JPL

[Via Satellite 08-17-2016] Astro Aerospace, a Northrop Grumman Corporation company, has completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the AstroMesh radar antenna reflector for the NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. The antenna reflector, furnished by Astro Aerospace, is part of the NISAR L-band synthetic aperture radar managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Scheduled to launch in 2021, NISAR will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual L-band and S-band frequencies, providing a detailed view of Earth. NISAR is designed to observe some of the planet’s most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet dynamics, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides. Data collected from NISAR will reveal information about the evolution and state of Earth’s crust, help scientists better understand our planet’s processes and changing climate, and aid future resource and hazard management.

Astro Aerospace uses its proprietary AstroMesh deployable mesh reflector for NISAR’s 12-meter aperture antenna, building an ultralight and extremely stiff reflector suited for high frequency communications and radar applications. The NISAR instrument design review represents a major program milestone. With the preliminary design review successfully completed, the program will move into detailed design and fabrication.