A Flowerlike satellite has “bloomed” in outer space, unfolding to reveal the largest radar antenna reflector ever put into orbit. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), a joint project between the US space agency and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), launched on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in southeastern India, before unfurling to its full size 17 days later. A Satellite With Two EyesNISAR’s antenna reflector—the device it uses to transmit and receive radar signals—measures 39 feet across, making it the largest such device ever put into orbit by NASA. NISAR is the first satellite to carry two types of synthetic aperture radar: L-band and S-band. “Synthetic aperture radar, in principle, works like the lens of a camera, which focuses light to make a sharp image.