Story perspectives

NISAR Shows Mexico City Subsiding 0.78´´ Monthly, 20 M Affected

5/2/2026

Summary

NISAR Tracks Subsidence

NISAR satellite, launched July 30 2025, tracks Mexico City’s subsidence in near real-time.
Data from Oct 25 2025–Jan 17 2026 show 20 million people sit on ground sinking 0.78 inches (2 cm) monthly, about 9.5 inches (24 cm) yearly.
Geologist Dora Carreón-Freyre and scientist David Bekaert say fractured roads, broken water lines and tilted historic buildings result from a 12-meter drop caused by groundwater extraction.
Scientists say the NISAR data will improve early-warning systems for floods, landslides and other hazards worldwide.

Summary

NISAR Launches

The NISAR satellite launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in July 2025 as a NASA-ISRO joint mission.
JPL and Caltech lead the U.S. side while ISRO supplies the bus and S-band radar and NASA provides the L-band radar and a 39-ft antenna.
NISAR, the first satellite with dual-frequency L-band and S-band SAR, will monitor land and ice surfaces every 12 days, prompting project manager David Bekaert to predict an influx of discoveries.

1 of 2

NISAR Tracks Subsidence

NISAR satellite, launched July 30 2025, tracks Mexico City’s subsidence in near real-time.
Data from Oct 25 2025–Jan 17 2026 show 20 million people sit on ground sinking 0.78 inches (2 cm) monthly, about 9.5 inches (24 cm) yearly.
Geologist Dora Carreón-Freyre and scientist David Bekaert say fractured roads, broken water lines and tilted historic buildings result from a 12-meter drop caused by groundwater extraction.
Scientists say the NISAR data will improve early-warning systems for floods, landslides and other hazards worldwide.

1 / 2