India, July 30 -- At 5.40pm Wednesday, the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite aboard Isro's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) -F16 rocket successfully lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. With a mission lifespan of five years, the first joint Earth observation satellite between Isro and Nasa will study the Earth's ecosystems and natural hazards. GSLV-F16 mission is also the first mission with GSLV to Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit.

On Wednesday, a Nasa team was stationed alongside the Isro team at the launch facility, while another 20-member team from the US space agency was positioned at the Isro Telemetry Tracking and Command Network, which is the mission oper...