Iran’s Home-Made Carrier Successfully Launches New Research Satellite into Orbit

Chamran 1 satellite was placed at an orbit of 550 km on Saturday morning on the back of Qa’em-100 satellite carrier, a solid-fueled space launch vehicle developed by the Islamic Revolution Gauds Corps (IRGC)’s aerospace experts.

The satellite sent its first signals some hours after launch. The spacecraft, which has been developed by several Iranian companies and industrial groups, weighs about 60 kg.

Chamran 1’s main mission is to test hardware and software systems to prove orbital maneuvering technology in height and phase.

It was put into orbit to also evaluate cold gas propulsion subsystems in space systems and to assess the performance of navigation and situation control subsystems.

Iran has carried out successful satellite launches in recent years despite West’s pressure and sanctions on the country’s space sector.

The country has stated repeatedly that peaceful technological advancement in the aerospace field is the country’s legitimate right.

In January, Iran simultaneously launched three satellites for the first time using a modern satellite carrier developed by the Iranian Defense Ministry.  

The ISA-built Mahda satellite was unveiled during the launches.

It came more than a week after Iran launched its Sorayya satellite into orbit with a rocket designed and developed by the IRGC.

Also in late February, an Iranian satellite was placed for a first time into an orbit of 500 kilometers. The Pars 1 research-sensing satellite was launched from Russia’s Vostochny spaceport using the Soyuz rocket.

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