Iran International reports that Iran successfully deployed three domestically developed satellites into low Earth orbit using a Russian Soyuz rocket, marking a significant milestone in Tehran-Moscow space collaboration amid ongoing international scrutiny.
The launch took place at Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome as part of a multi-satellite mission. Iranian officials hailed it as the nation's seventh satellite deployment relying on Russian launchers.
Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, emphasized the involvement of both public institutions and private companies in the project. "Iranian scientists designed and built these satellites, with contributions from government entities, knowledge-based firms, and universities," he stated, adding that progress continues despite sanctions and external pressures. Jalali praised Russia's expertise and the Soyuz rocket's proven reliability, noting its past use for Western satellites before geopolitical shifts strained Moscow's ties with the West.
Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency, positioned Iran among an elite group of roughly 10-11 nations capable of full-cycle space technology, including satellite design, manufacturing, launching, and data processing. He outlined future goals to increase satellite numbers, enhance resolution quality, and diversify satellite types.
Each satellite was given a different name. Paya (also known as Tolou-3) was developed by the Iranian Space Agency. The 150 kg Earth-observation satellite is Iran's heaviest to date. It provides black-and-white images at 5-meter resolution and color images at 10-meter resolution, supporting applications in agriculture, water resource management, environmental monitoring, and disaster response. Zafar-2 was built by Iran University of Science and Technology, focused on mapping, environmental surveillance, and natural hazard tracking. Kowsar-1.5 is a prototype combining imaging with Internet-of-Things capabilities, primarily for agricultural monitoring.
The mission also included numerous Russian satellites and payloads from countries such as Belarus, Kuwait, and Montenegro. The launch is the latest of several cooperative ventures between Russia and Iran recently, including the reported supply of Russian aircraft and anti-air defenses to replace Iranian losses during Operation Rising Lion.