The S-band synthetic aperture radar (S-SAR) aboard the joint NASA/Indian Space Research Organization SAR (NISAR) mission operates at a wavelength of 9.4 cm and is used for targeted sensing of light vegetation. Like NISAR’s L-SAR, the S-band SAR can see through clouds and the leaves of a forest canopy that can obstruct the view of optical instruments, although it cannot penetrate as deeply into dense vegetation as L-SAR given its shorter (9.4 cm vs. 24 cm) wavelength. The instrument is composed of 48 S-band transmit/receive array elements in two rows, with 24 elements per polarization. 

The S-band SAR is used to produce data for science areas of interest to India that are above and beyond the NASA requirements, including coastal bathymetry (depth of water) and ocean winds, geology, and coastal shoreline studies. The S-band also will be used in polar regions, as its signal is less sensitive to ionospheric disturbances.