A powerful new radar satellite, jointly developed by the United States and India, is set to launch today. The satellite is designed to monitor subtle shifts in Earth’s land and ice surfaces, aiding in the prediction of both natural disasters and human-induced hazards.

Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Nisar, lifted off onboard the Indian space agency’s GSLV Mk-II rocket from Sriharikota on Wednesday (July 30). Jointly developed by Isro and Nasa, it is the first major earth-observing satellite with two frequencies — L-band and S-band.