Iran to Launch 2 New Satellites Developed by Private Sector

“Kosar satellite, which is an observation satellite, is scheduled to be launched and put into the orbit this year. Hodhod satellite, as a research-communication satellite, is also due to be launched concurrently with Kosar satellite,” Salariyeh said.

“Other satellites, which are being built by the private sector upon an order by the ISA will be launched this year, God willing,” he added.

“Also, the construction process of martyr Soleimani project, which includes an Internet of Things (IOT) satellite system, will start late this year,” Salariyeh said.

Kosar is an observation satellite with an imaging resolution of 3.5 meters per pixel, which can be used for agricultural purposes, surveying and demarcation. The satellite has an orbital lifespan of two years.

The Hodhod satellite is planned to be used in the area of the Internet of Things, agriculture, transportation and crisis management scenarios.

Omid Faza company and a group of Amirkabir University students have been developing Kosar satellite.

Reports in February 2022 said that Kosar satellite had reached the testing and assembly stage after two years of development efforts by the consortium.

Iran launched its first satellite, called Omid (literally meaning hope), in 2009. Rasad (literally meaning observation) satellite was also sent into orbit in 2011.

In 2012, Iran successfully put its third domestically manufactured satellite, named Navid (literally meaning promise), into orbit.

The first and most advanced homegrown remote-sensing satellite is Pars-1, which has been designed and constructed by the researchers of the Iranian Space Research Center.

Pars-1 is supposed to take pictures of all parts of the country using a high-resolution 15-meter-camera and send its photos from a 500-kilometer distance to the earth stations using a high-powered telecommunication transceiver.

According to previous reports, the Iranian Space Agency has plans to launch a number of satellites, including Pars-1, Pars-2, Zafar-2, and Nahid-2.

In February, the Iranian Space Agency announced that the Kosar satellite, designed and launched by 8 technological companies, was scheduled to be in a 500-kilometer orbit by the current [Iranian calendar] year (which began on March 21).

Iran is among the 10 countries with the know-how of space technology and is the 11th country in the world in terms of space science and the leading country in the region.

Iran’s global ranking in space technology has improved from 95 in 1996 to 11 in 2017.

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