Iran Launches Carrier Capable of Putting Satellites into 500Km Orbit

Information and Communications Technology Minister Isa Zarepour said a new class of satellite carriers was successfully tested by sending the Qaem-100 into the low Earth orbit (LEO).

On November 4, the Qaem satellite was successfully launched into orbit, Zarepour said.

The Qaem-100 has the ability to put satellites under 100 kg of weight in orbit 400 to 500 km from the earth.

According to relevant officials, the Qaem-100 is now ready to launch Nahid, a satellite manufactured by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, into orbit in the near future.

The Nahid-1 satellite is a telecommunication satellite built by the Iran Space Research Institute. It has the ability to send and receive data and voice in Ku band - frequencies from 12 to 18 gigahertz (GHz), with three-axis control.

Previously, other satellites named Omid, Rasad, and Navid had been launched into space on Iranian launchers and were successfully put into orbit, but due to various reasons, they had a short orbital life.

Over the past years, Iran has succeeded in manufacturing and putting into space different satellites as well as launching various carriers.

In June, the country tested its domestically-developed hybrid-propellant satellite carrier rocket called Zuljanah for research purposes.

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