NISAR — which stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar — will use two radar instruments operating at different wavelengths, one built by NASA and one by ISRO, to map Earth’s changing ice and land surfaces. Globally, the satellite will be able to identify changes in soil moisture, forest biomass and glaciers, among other things.

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.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday launched the NISAR satellite, marking the Indian space research organisation's maiden collaboration with NASA.

With the peak hurricane season looming, forecasters will be without key information starting Monday because the Defense Department said it will no longer provide them with data from the weather satellites.

The SSMIS instruments are part of three weather satellites that are in low-Earth orbit and are maintained by NOAA in cooperation with the Department of Defense. They provide critical weather information that can't yet be replaced by other satellites and weather instruments, according to NOAA.