The NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, an Earth-observing radar satellite jointly developed by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), 

Moved another step closer to launch last month when it arrived safe and sound at Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast. Home to ISRO’s launch facilities, the center will host the satellite’s liftoff, slated for July.

Prior to arriving at the launch site on May 15, NISAR was at the ISRO Satellite Integration and Test Establishment in Bengaluru. Engineers from ISRO and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission for NASA, 

Had been working together there since March 2023 on bringing together components and assembling the satellite. They also tested it to ensure it can withstand the rigors of launch and function properly in orbit.

In the early morning of May 14, crews placed the satellite in a specialized container and transported it about 220 miles (360 kilometers) by truck to the space center, arriving the following day. 

It will be placed in its launch fairing and mounted atop an ISRO Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark II rocket in preparation for launch.

Source: Science