Science TechnologyWednesday, 29 April 2026·The Hindu
IITM inaugurates Mahabaleshwar X-band Doppler radar and signs ISRO SAC MoU
On 24 April 2026, IITM inaugurated an X-band Doppler Weather Radar at Mahabaleshwar and signed an MoU with ISRO’s SAC.
Key highlights
Direct fact
On 24 April 2026, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology inaugurated an X-band Doppler Weather Radar at Mahabaleshwar and signed an MoU with ISRO’s Space Applications Centre to improve nowcasting under Mission Mausam.
Key specifics
- The radar was installed at the High Altitude Cloud Physics Laboratory in Mahabaleshwar at 1400 metres altitude.
- It operates at 9.45 GHz using solid-state power amplifier technology.
- The system has dual-polarization capability to map cloud microphysics and precipitation drop size.
- It can improve nowcasting up to three hours over Satara, Pune, Konkan and Mumbai.
- IITM is headquartered in Pune and SAC is headquartered in Ahmedabad under ISRO.
Exam lens
Question type: Science and technology, meteorological instruments, ISRO collaboration. TNPSC one-liner: IITM’s 2026 radar at Mahabaleshwar is important for Mission Mausam, 9.45 GHz operation and three-hour nowcasting.