Iran to Launch Micro-Class Satellite

Iran will launch a home-made micro-class satellite named ‘Navak’ into the space in the next few days, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi said.

Navak which weighs 40 kilogram and has been designed by the Iranian Space Research Institute will be launched into the orbit by using an upgraded Simorq rocket.

This launch signals progress toward accessing geostationary orbit (GEO) and bolstering national communication infrastructure.

Iran successfully attained the ability for orbital launches in 2009 and has made remarkable strides in its civilian space program, demonstrating resilience and innovation in the face of Western sanctions. 

Iran stands as the ninth nation to successfully launch a domestically manufactured satellite into orbit using its own launch vehicle. It is now recognized among the world's top ten countries capable of developing and launching satellites. 

The launch of Kowsar and Hodhod marks a significant milestone, showcasing the first-ever participation of the Iranian private space sector in the nation's expanding space program and enhancing the achievements of government space initiatives. 

Earlier reports, in January, also said that an advanced version of the Kowsar satellite, named Kowsar 1.5, would be launched into the space in the first half of next Persian calendar year (to start on March 21).  

The Kowsar 1.5 satellite, the result of the efforts of the Iranian experts, is an upgraded version of the Kowsar and Hodhod satellites that were launched into space earlier this year. The two satellites play a key role in the development of precision agriculture with their remote sensing (Kowsar) and Internet of Things (Hodhod) missions.

“The combined version of the Kowsar and Hodhod missions, named Kowsar 1.5, will be launched in the first half of next year, and efforts are being made to design and produce a system of these satellites by attracting capital,” Hossein Shahrabi, the managing director of a company active in designing and manufacturing light and low-cost satellites, was quoted by the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy as saying.

Two domestically-manufactured Iranian satellites were successfully launched into space in November in a debut entrance by the country’s private sector in the space industry.

Kowsar and Hodhod were launched into orbit from the Vostochny spaceport in eastern Russia in November, using a Russian Soyuz satellite launcher.

The development marked the first triumphant attempt by the Islamic Republic’s private sector towards production of satellites and their placement into orbit and was, therefore, deemed as an important and unprecedented step in the country’s space industry.

Kowsar is a remote-sensing satellite with the capability to capture high-resolution imagery for various purposes across the agricultural, natural resources, environmental, and crisis management fields among other areas.

Hodhod has, meanwhile, been described as a small-sized satellite with communication applications, including creation of communication networks and contributions to the Internet of Things (IoT).

The latter could be used towards provision of communication services in remote and inaccessible areas, where land communication networks are not available.

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