The Krasheninnikov volcano, located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, has begun erupting for the first time since approximately 1550. The activity follows an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in the nearby Pacific Ocean on July 30, 2025. Since the eruption began, the volcano has been emitting a steady flow of molten rock and debris toward the east.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission has been monitoring these geological changes from orbit. Since becoming operational in late 2025, the satellite has revisited the site twice every 12 days, utilizing its radar capabilities to track the progression of the lava flows. Researchers compiled 17 radar frames captured through mid-August 2025 into a time-lapse video, which illustrates the lava filling an inner caldera before spreading into a wider fan shape.
Matthew Pritchard, a geophysicist at Cornell University and member of the NISAR science team, noted that the consistency of the satellite's high-resolution observations is vital for monitoring natural hazards. "The consistency is crucial. Twice every 12 days, acquiring in this high-resolution mode and in two observation directions, this shows the promise of NISAR to closely monitor natural hazards," Pritchard stated.
The satellite employs synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology, which processes thousands of microwave pulses per second to create detailed imagery. Each pixel in the time-lapse represents a 30-foot-by-30-foot area. Because lava reflects microwaves more brightly than the surrounding snow or bare ground, it appears lighter in the resulting images, allowing scientists to track the growth of the flows with high precision.
NISAR is the first space mission to carry both L-band and S-band radar instruments, allowing for complementary data collection. The mission is a collaborative effort between NASA, which provided the L-band SAR and antenna, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which provided the spacecraft bus and S-band system. The project is managed by Caltech for NASA.
Source: NASA
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