Is Mexico City Sinking? Satellites Reveal the Alarming Truth

Mexico City is facing a strange and worrying phenomenon: studies indicate that this metropolis, home to over 20 million people, is sinking at a rapid pace. But how can a satellite in space uncover and explain this phenomenon?

NISAR Satellite: A Space Partnership to Unveil Earth’s Changes

In a historic move, NASA, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), launched the NISAR satellite on July 30, 2025. This ambitious project aims to monitor surface changes on Earth with precision down to a centimeter, enabling scientists to track ground movements such as land subsidence, glacial retreat, and tectonic plate shifts.

NISAR is equipped with a dual-frequency radar system, allowing it to analyze changes on Earth’s surface with unprecedented accuracy. The satellite uses L-band and S-band frequencies to provide precise data on changes in both land and vegetation.

Mexico City: Sinking Under the Weight of Time

Since 1925, it has been recognized that Mexico City is subsiding due to its construction over ancient aquifer layers composed of permeable rock and sand. Continuous groundwater extraction and the pressure from urban expansion compress these layers, causing significant damage to infrastructure, such as the city’s metro system.

Studies suggest that the city could sink at a rate of up to 35 centimeters per year, a rapid pace that raises concerns about the near future.

NISAR: An Eye in the Sky Monitoring the Dangers

NISAR is one of the most powerful radar systems launched into space, capable of covering the entire Earth’s surface every 12 days. Thanks to its unique design, NISAR can detect minute changes in challenging areas like densely vegetated coastal regions.

NISAR boasts a massive 12-meter diameter antenna, enabling it to collect high-precision data by emitting thousands of radar pulses per second to avoid any image interference.

Image Analysis: What Do NISAR’s Colors Reveal?

Images captured by NISAR of Mexico City show sinking areas as dark blue patches, representing regions that have subsided more than 2 centimeters between October 2025 and January 2026. Other colors, such as yellow and green, indicate residual noise in the data, expected to decrease over time with more orbital passes by NISAR.

Conclusion

NISAR represents a significant step forward in understanding the changes occurring on Earth’s surface, providing accurate and reliable data on the rapid sinking in Mexico City and other areas worldwide. As data accuracy improves, NISAR could play a crucial role in sustainable infrastructure planning and natural disaster management in the future.