The satellite called NISAR — short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar — will operate from a near-polar-circling orbit 464 miles high. It will join dozens of Earth observation missions already in operation by the U.S. and India.

NISAR, a new Earth-observing satellite, is a collaboration between NASA and India’s space agency. A new radar satellite, built by NASA and India’s space agency, launched on Wednesday.

The "first of its kind" satellite will map the Earth's surface in incredible detail. Mission officials say it will help us better understand areas at risk of earthquakes.

Once deployed, NISAR will image nearly all of Earth's land and icy surfaces twice every 12 days, offering unprecedented detail into the many natural processes happening on our planet. With NISAR acting as another pair of eyes aimed at Earth,

The $1.5 billion synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite, a joint project between NASA and the Indian space agency ISRO, successfully launched into orbit on Wednesday aboard that nation's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle,