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Type: Prelims Only

  • Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Global Implications

    US bombed Nord Stream Gas Pipeline

    Prelims Only | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Important International Institutions

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Nord Stream Pipelines

    Mains level: Not Much

    nord

    An American investigative journalist has claimed that the September 2022 bombing of the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines was carried out by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

    What is Nord Stream Pipeline?

    (1) Nord Stream 1:

    • Nord Stream 1 is the biggest pipeline transporting natural gas between Russia and Europe via Germany.
    • It is a system of offshore natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.
    • Nord Stream 1 is a 1,224 km underwater gas pipeline that runs from Vyborg in northwest Russia to Lubmin in northeastern Germany via the Baltic Sea.

    (2) Nord Stream 2:

    • Russian threats to choke this gas supply to Europe present an economic threat to Germany.
    • To expand options and double the supply from Russia, Germany decided to build Nord Stream 2.
    • The construction of the $11 billion-worth Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021 but never began commercial operations.

    Why the Nord Stream pipeline is so much in news?

    • For Germany: Energy prices in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, are among the lowest in the continent because of the cheap gas supplies via Nord Stream 1. This also makes German manufactured goods more competitive in the international market.
    • For European Union: In 2021, Russia supplied nearly 40 per cent of the EU’s natural gas needs through this pipeline. The flows through Nord Stream play a vital role in filling up the national storage tanks of EU. It is crucial to provide the required heating in the upcoming winter.
    • For Russia: Russia is using the supplies via the crucial pipeline as a bargain to navigate its economy through sanctions from the western countries.

    What is the current status of Nord Stream Pipeline?

    • Nord stream pipeline is the largest single supply route for Russian gas to Europe. The Russian state owned gas company Gazprom has a majority ownership in the pipeline.
    • While it was running at just 20% of its capacity since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began, the company, in early September fully cut gas flows from the pipeline on the pretext of maintenance.
    • According to Bloomberg, while 40% of Europe’s pipeline gas came from Russia before Russia Ukraine the war, the number now stands at just 9%.
    • Even though both pipelines were not running commercially, they had millions of cubic metres of gas stored in them.

     

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  • ISRO Missions and Discoveries

    ISRO’s SSLV-D2 launched successfully

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: PSLV, SSLV, GSLV

    Mains level: Not Much

    sslv

    The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will undertake the second development flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV –D2).

    Payload details

    The SSLV-D2 is intended to inject ISRO’s EOS-07, U.S.-based firm Antaris’ Janus-1 and Chennai-based space start-up Space Kidz’s AzaadiSAT-2 satellites into a 450-km circular orbit in its 15 minutes flight.

    • EOS-07: is a 156.3 kg satellite designed, developed and realized by the ISRO. Its mission objective is to design and develop payload instruments compatible with microsatellite buses and new technologies that are required for future operational satellites.
    • Janus-1: Weighing around 10.2 kg, Janus-1 is a technology demonstrator, smart satellite mission based on Antaris software platform.
    • AzaadiSAT-2: A 8.7-kg satellite, AzaadiSAT-2 is a combined effort of about 750 girl students across India guided by Space Kidz India, Chennai.

    What is SSLV?

    • The SSLV is a small-lift launch vehicle being developed by the ISRO with payload capacity to deliver:
    1. 600 kg to Low Earth Orbit (500 km) or
    2. 300 kg to Sun-synchronous Orbit (500 km)
    • It would help launching small satellites, with the capability to support multiple orbital drop-offs.
    • In future a dedicated launch pad in Sriharikota called Small Satellite Launch Complex (SSLC) will be set up.
    • A new spaceport, under development, near Kulasekharapatnam in Tamil Nadu will handle SSLV launches when complete.
    • After entering the operational phase, the vehicle’s production and launch operations will be done by a consortium of Indian firms along with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

    Vehicle details

    (A) Dimensions

    • Height: 34 meters
    • Diameter: 2 meters
    • Mass: 120 tonnes

    (B) Propulsion

    • It will be a four stage launching vehicle.
    • The first three stages will use Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) based solid propellant, with a fourth terminal stage being a Velocity-Trimming Module (VTM).

    SSLV vs. PSLV: A comparison

    • The SSLV was developed with the aim of launching small satellites commercially at drastically reduced price and higher launch rate as compared to Polar SLV (PSLV).
    • The projected high launch rate relies on largely autonomous launch operation and on overall simple logistics.
    • To compare, a PSLV launch involves 600 officials while SSLV launch operations would be managed by a small team of about six people.
    • The launch readiness period of the SSLV is expected to be less than a week instead of months.
    • The SSLV can carry satellites weighing up to 500 kg to a low earth orbit while the tried and tested PSLV can launch satellites weighing in the range of 1000 kg.
    • The entire job will be done in a very short time and the cost will be only around Rs 30 crore for SSLV.

    Significance of SSLV

    • SSLV is perfectly suited for launching multiple microsatellites at a time and supports multiple orbital drop-offs.
    • The development and manufacture of the SSLV are expected to create greater synergy between the space sector and private Indian industries – a key aim of the space ministry.

     

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  • Parliament – Sessions, Procedures, Motions, Committees etc

    Lack of Quorum in Lok Sabha

    Prelims Only | Polity | Mains Paper 2: Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Quorum

    Mains level: Features of parliamentary democracy

    The Lok Sabha began a discussion on the general Budget but the House had to be adjourned before the scheduled time due to lack of quorum.

    What is Quorum?

    • Quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that assembly.
    • Article 100 of the Indian Constitution states that the quorum to constitute a meeting of either House of Parliament shall be one-tenth of the total number of members of that House.
    • This means that the quorum of Lok Sabha (Lower House) is 55 and that of Rajya Sabha (Upper House) is 25.

    Who decides the Quorum?

    • The quorum is usually decided at the beginning of the session and if it is not present when a vote is taken, the vote is invalid.
    • In the event of inadequate quorum, the Speaker or the Chairman can adjourn the House or suspend the sitting till the quorum is present.

    Challenging a Quorum

    • Furthermore, the quorum can be challenged by any member of the House.
    • In the event that the quorum is challenged, the Speaker or the Chairman can direct that a count of the members present be taken.
    • If the quorum is not present, the House is adjourned. However, if the quorum is present, the business of the House is resumed.

     

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  • RBI Notifications

    RBI announces pilot for QR code-based Coin Vending Machine

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: QR coin vending

    Mains level: Not Much

    qr

    To improve the distribution of coins among members of the public, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is preparing a pilot project on QR code-based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM) in collaboration with a few leading banks.

    QR code-based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM)

    • The QCVM is a cashless coin dispensation machine which would dispense coins against a debit to the customer’s bank account using Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
    • Unlike cash-based traditional Coin Vending Machine, the QCVM would eliminate the need for physical tendering of banknotes and their authentication.
    • Customers will also have the option to withdraw coins in the required quantity and denominations in QCVMs.

    When will it be launched?

    • The pilot project is planned to be initially rolled out at 19 locations in 12 cities across the country.
    • Machines will be installed at public places such as railway stations, shopping malls, marketplaces to enhance ease and accessibility.
    • Based on the learnings from the pilot tests, guidelines would be issued to banks to promote better distribution of coins using QCVMs.

     

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  • Tribes in News

    Sarna Religion of the Tribals

    Prelims Only | History | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Sarna Religion

    Mains level: Tribal assertiveness

    sarna

    West Bengal Assembly has tabled a motion to recognize Sarna Religion of the tribals and have a Sarna Code.

    Sarna Religion

    • The followers of Sarna faith believe pray to nature.
    • The holy grail of the faith is “Jal (water), Jungle (forest), Zameen (land)” and its followers pray to the trees and hills while believing in protecting the forest areas.
    • Jharkhand has 32 tribal groups of which eight are from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
    • While many follow Hindu religion, some have converted to Christianity — this has become one of the planks of demanding a separate code “to save religious identity”— as various tribal organisations put it.

    Demand for Sarna Code

    • Tribal groups in the region have long demanded the Sarna code, a separate religious classification in the census, recognising their status as independent religious communities.
    • It is believed that 50 lakhs tribal in the entire country put their religion as ‘Sarna’ in the 2011 census, although it was not a code.
    • The resolution will seek a special column for followers of the Sarna religion in the Census, 2021.
    • At present, they are not classified as a separate entity.

    Politics around the tribe

    • Many of the tribals who follow this faith have later converted to Christianity—the state has more than 4% Christians most of whom are tribals.
    • Some who still follow the Sarna faith believe the converted tribals are taking the benefits of reservation as a minority, as well as the benefits, are given to Schedule Tribes.
    • They also believe that benefits should be given specifically to them and not to those who have converted.

    What sense does a separate code make?

    • The protection of their language and history is an important aspect of tribals.
    • Between 1871 and 1951, the tribals had a different code. However, it was changed around 1961-62.
    • Experts argue that when today the entire world is focusing on reducing pollution and protecting the environment, it is prudent that Sarna becomes a religious code as the soul of this religion is to protect nature and the environment.

     

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  • Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

    CAR T-Cell Therapy for treatment of Cancer

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: CAR T-Cell Cancer Therapy

    Mains level: Not Much

    cancer

    The new CAR T-Cell Immunotherapy holds promise for Ovarian Cancer patients over other forms of treatment.

    What are CAR T-cells?

    • Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies represent a quantum leap in the sophistication of cancer treatment.
    • Unlike chemotherapy or immunotherapy, which require mass-produced injectable or oral medication, CAR T-cell therapies use a patient’s own cells.
    • They are modified in the laboratory to activate T-cells, a component of immune cells, to attack tumours.
    • These modified cells are then infused back into the patient’s bloodstream after conditioning them to multiply more effectively.
    • The cells are even more specific than targeted agents and directly activate the patient’s immune system against cancer, making the treatment more clinically effective.
    • This is why they’re called ‘living drugs’.

    How does the therapy work?

    • In CAR T-cell therapy, the patient’s blood is drawn to harvest T-cells which are immune cells that play a major role in destroying tumour cells.
    • Researchers modify these cells in the laboratory so that they express specific proteins on their surface, known as chimeric antigen receptors (CAR).
    • They have an affinity for proteins on the surface of tumour cells.
    • This modification in the cellular structure allows CAR T-cells to effectively bind to the tumour and destroy it.
    • The final step in the tumour’s destruction involves its clearance by the patient’s immune system.

    Where is it used?

    • As of today, CAR T-cell therapy has been approved for leukaemias (cancers arising from the cells that produce white blood cells) and lymphomas (arising from the lymphatic system).
    • These cancers occur through the unregulated reproduction of a single clone of cells, that is, following the cancerous transformation of a single type of cell, it produces millions of identical copies.
    • As a result, the target for CAR T-cells is consistent and reliable.
    • CAR T-cell therapy is also used among patients with cancers that have returned after an initial successful treatment or which haven’t responded to previous combinations of chemotherapy or immunotherapy.
    • Its response rate is variable. In certain kinds of leukaemias and lymphomas, the efficacy is as high as 90%, whereas in other types of cancers it is significantly lower.

    How widespread is its use?

    • The complexity of preparing CAR T-cells has been a major barrier to their use.
    • The first clinical trial showing they were effective was published almost a decade ago; the first indigenously developed therapy in India was successfully performed only in 2022.
    • The technical and human resources required to administer this therapy are also considerable.
    • Treatments in the US cost more than a million dollars.
    • Trials are underway in India, with companies looking to indigenously manufacture CAR T-cells at a fraction of the cost.
    • The preliminary results have been encouraging.

    What are conventional cancer therapies?

    • The three major forms of treatment for any cancer are surgery (removing the cancer), radiotherapy (delivering ionising radiation to the tumour), and systemic therapy (chemotherapy- administering medicines that act on the tumour only).
    • Surgery and radiotherapy have been refined significantly over time whereas advances in systemic therapy have been unparalleled.
    • A new development on this front, currently holding the attention of many researchers worldwide, is the CAR T-cell therapy.

    Will this therapy be expensive in India as well?

    • In India, introducing any new therapy faces the twin challenges of cost and value.
    • Critics argue that developing facilities in India may be redundant and/or inappropriate as even when it becomes cheaper, CAR T-cell therapy will be unaffordable to most Indians.
    • Those who are affluent and require the therapy currently receive it abroad anyway.
    • While this is true, it may be the right answer to the wrong question.
    • Having access to a global standard of care is every patient’s right; how it can be made more affordable can be the next step.

     

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  • Banking Sector Reforms

    What are Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)?

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Inclusive Growth & Issues

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: PACS

    Mains level: Rural banking mechanisms

    pacs

    The Union Budget has announced Rs 2,516 crore for computerization of 63,000 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) over the next five years.

    Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)

    • PACS are village level cooperative credit societies that serve as the last link in a three-tier cooperative credit structure headed by the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) at the state level.
    • Credit from the SCBs is transferred to the district central cooperative banks, or DCCBs, that operate at the district level.
    • The DCCBs work with PACS, which deal directly with farmers.
    • Since these are cooperative bodies, individual farmers are members of the PACS, and office-bearers are elected from within them.
    • A village can have multiple PACS.

    What is its lending mechanism?

    • PACS are involved in short term lending — or what is known as crop loan.
    • At the start of the cropping cycle, farmers avail credit to finance their requirement of seeds, fertilisers etc.
    • Banks extend this credit at 7 per cent interest, of which 3 per cent is subsidised by the Centre, and 2 per cent by the state government.
    • Effectively, farmers avail the crop loans at 2 per cent interest only.

    NPAs with PACS

    • NABARD’s annual report of 2021-22 shows that 59.6 per cent of the loans were extended to the small and marginal farmers.
    • A report published by the Reserve Bank of India on December 27, 2022 put the number of PACS at 1.02 lakh.
    • At the end of March 2021, only 47,297 of them were in profit.
    • The same report said PACS had reported lending worth Rs 1,43,044 crore and NPAs of Rs 72,550 crore. Maharashtra has 20,897 PACS of which 11,326 are in losses.

    Why are PACS attractive?

    • The attraction of the PACS lies in the last mile connectivity they offer.
    • For farmers, timely access to capital is necessary at the start of their agricultural activities.
    • PACS have the capacity to extend credit with minimal paperwork within a short time.

     

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  • Financial Inclusion in India and Its Challenges

    What are White Label ATMs?

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Indian Economy

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: White Label ATM

    Mains level: Financial inclusion

    atm

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the validity of authorization issued to Vakrangee to setup, own and operate White Label ATMs in India.

    What is White Label ATM?

    • Usually ATMs are managed by banks. But White Label ATMs are owned and operated by non-banking entities.
    • ATMs operated under this business model allow customers to use them for banking transactions regardless of the bank they have an account with.
    • RBI approved the operation and inclusion of WLA ATM by non-banking organisations under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act of 2007.
    • It was introduced to expand India’s ATM network, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.

    How does it work?

    • White Label ATM companies work with banking networks to enable bank customers to use banking services like withdrawing funds, paying bills and depositing cash.
    • White Label ATM (WLA) operators’ charge card-issuing bank fees to provide this facility to the bank’s clients.
    • The transaction process in White Label ATM operators consists of a lending bank, a sponsor bank that handles settlements and an ATM network provider.
    • The Sponsor bank provides the cash facility for the White ATM.

    Significance of WLA: Financial Inclusion

    • Financial inclusion is concerned with the availability of financial services and adequate financing to low-income individuals and other vulnerable segments of society.
    • ATMs promote financial inclusion and provide customers with various banking services at any location and time.

    White Label ATM Operators in India

    • Non-banks set up and operate White ATMs as per the rules laid down by RBI for using ‘other bank’ ATMs.
    • These ATMs accept all domestic debit cards and offer the first five or three transactions per month free of cost, depending on the location.
    • Below mentioned are some examples of companies that operate white label ATMs:
    1. Indicash – India’s largest White Label ATM network responsible for ‘uberisation of ATMs.’
    2. India1 Payments (BTI Payments Pvt. Ltd.)
    3. Hitachi Payment Services Pvt. Ltd.
    4. Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd.
    5. Vakrangee Limited

    Benefits of White Label ATMs

    There are many benefits of White Label ATMs:

    • Customers benefit from White Label ATMs since they eliminate the need to visit a bank branch on a regular basis
    • ATMs are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays
    • Banks benefit from this because they do not have to maintain a huge staff/office (compared to a system without ATMs). It lowers their branch-operational costs
    • Financial inclusion of rural, semi-urban, and low-income people
    • It allowed ATM cards to be issued by any bank that can be used at White Label ATMs
    • WLA atm also provides mobile recharge, energy bill payments, and other value-added services

    Limitations of White Label ATMs

    There are also a few limitations of White Label ATMs:

    • The issue of unsuccessful transactions is a key source of concern. In the event of a dispute, the dispute resolution method will include three entities, namely the WLA operator, the WLA operator’s sponsor bank, and the customer’s bank.
    • Customers will be discouraged by the cost issue, as they will be obliged to pay a price to use the White Label ATMs, as only a limited number of free transactions are permitted on the WLAs
    • White label ATMs’ financial viability is questioned because of their low interchange charge and hefty operational expenses
    • If there is a bank-managed ATM in the same area as a WLA ATM, the White Label ATMs may not be able to generate a profit

    Differences Between Brown Label and White Label ATMs

    The differences between Brown Label ATM and White Label ATMs are:

    Brown Label ATM White Label ATM
    Brown Label ATMs have their hardware and ATM machine leased by a service provider Non-banking entities own and operate ATMs
    The sponsor bank’s brand name appears on the Brown label ATM There is no bank logo on a white label ATM machine
    The RBI is not directly involved. These outsourcing firms are bound by contracts with their respective banks The RBI is directly involved as white label companies must obtain a license or permission from the RBI in order to conduct business

     

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  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Breakthrough

    Bard: Google’s answer to ‘ChatGPT’

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Bard, ChatGPT, AI

    Mains level: AI, Machine Learning

    bard

    Google has finally decided to answer the challenge and threat posed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI and its AI chatbot- ChatGPT.

    What is Bard, when can I access it?

    • Google’s Bard is functioned on LaMDA, the firm’s Language Model for Dialogue Applications system, and has been in development for several years.
    • It is what Sunder Pichai termed an “experimental conversational AI service”.
    • Google will be opening it up to trusted testers ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.
    • It is not yet publicly available.

    What is Bard based on?

    • Bard is built on Transformer technology—which is also the backbone of ChatGPT and other AI bots.
    • Transformer technology was pioneered by Google and made open-source in 2017.
    • Transformer technology is a neural network architecture, which is capable of making predictions based on inputs and is primarily used in natural language processing and computer vision technology.
    • Previously, a Google engineer claimed LaMDA was a ‘sentient’ being with consciousness.

    How does it work?

    • Bard draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.
    • In short, it will give in-depth, conversational and essay-style answers just like ChatGPT does right now.
    • It requires significantly less computing power, enabling us to scale to more users, allowing for more feedback.

    A user will be able to ask Bard to explain new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to a 9-year-old, or learn more about the best strikers in football right now, and then get drills to build your skills.

     

    What about its computing power?

    • Remember running these models also requires significant computing power.
    • For instance, ChatGPT is powered by Microsoft’s Azure Cloud services.
    • This also explains why the service often runs into errors at times, because too many people are accessing it.

    Key difference between ChatGPT and Google’s Bard

    • It appears that to take on ChatGPT, Google has an ace up its sleeve: the ability to draw information from the Internet.
    • Bard draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.
    • ChatGPT has impressed with its ability to respond to complex queries — though with varying degrees of accuracy — but its biggest shortcoming perhaps is that it cannot access real-time information from the Internet.
    • ChatGPT’s language model was trained on a vast dataset to generate text based on the input, and the dataset, at the moment, only includes information until 2021.

    Is Bard better than ChatGPT?

    • Bard looks like a limited rollout right now.
    • Google is looking for a lot of feedback at the moment around Bard, so it is hard to say whether it can answer more questions than ChatGPT.
    • Google has also not made clear the amount of knowledge that Bard possesses.
    • For instance, with ChatGPT, we know its knowledge is limited to events till 2021.
    • Of course, it is based on LaMDA, which has been in the news for a while now.

    Why has Google announced Bard right now?

    • Bard comes as Microsoft is preparing to announce an integration of ChatGPT into its Bing Search engine.
    • Google might have invented the ‘Transformer’ technology, but it is now being seen as a latecomer to the AI revolution.
    • ChatGPT in many ways is being called the end of Google Search, given that conversational AI can give long, essay style and sometimes elegant answers to a user’s queries.
    • Of course, not all of these are correct, but then AI is capable of correcting itself as well and learning from mistakes.

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  • ISRO Missions and Discoveries

    NASA-ISRO partnership’s NISAR and its Mission

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: NISAR

    Mains level: Not Much

    nisar

    An earth-observation satellite NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) jointly developed by NASA and ISRO is all set to be shipped to India later this month for a possible launch in September.

    What is NISAR?

    • NISAR has been built by space agencies of the US and India under a partnership agreement signed in 2014.
    • The 2,800 kilograms satellite consists of both L-band and S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which makes it a dual-frequency imaging radar satellite.
    • While NASA has provided the L-band radar, GPS, a high-capacity solid-state recorder to store data, and a payload data subsystem, ISRO has provided the S-band radar, the GSLV launch system and spacecraft.
    • Another important component of the satellite is its large 39-foot stationary antenna reflector.
    • Made of a gold-plated wire mesh, the reflector will be used to focus the radar signals emitted and received by the upward-facing feed on the instrument structure.

    What is the mission?

    • Once launched into space, NISAR will observe subtle changes in Earth’s surfaces, helping researchers better understand the causes and consequences of such phenomena.
    • It will spot warning signs of natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and landslides.
    • The satellite will also measure groundwater levels, track flow rates of glaciers and ice sheets, and monitor the planet’s forest and agricultural regions, which can improve our understanding of carbon exchange.
    • By using synthetic aperture radar (SAR), NISAR will produce high-resolution images.
    • SAR is capable of penetrating clouds and can collect data day and night regardless of the weather conditions.

     

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