Launch of a New Iranian Satellite with Soyuz Rocket in 2025

A new Iranian satellite equipped with imaging capabilities and providing Internet of Things (IoT) services will be launched into space in 2025 using the Russian Soyuz rocket.

In an interview with Mehr News Agency, Dr. Hossein Shahrabi, in response to a question about the evaluation of cooperation with Russia on the launch of Kosar and Hodhod satellites, said, "Collaboration with Russia has been a significant milestone for our country. The company we contracted with, which was responsible for launching these two satellites, had previously launched one of the well-known satellite constellations."

The CEO of the Omid-e-Faza knowledge-based company added, "This company is considered one of the top-tier companies in terms of pricing and reliability. We will, God willing, continue our collaboration with this company and conduct another launch in the near future using the Russian Soyuz rocket."

Providing further details about the satellite and its specifications, Shahrabi explained, "This satellite is an optimized version of the Kosar and Hodhod satellites and will be launched in 2025 in cooperation with Russia."

He continued, "Recently, the Kosar and Hodhod satellites, which are designed for telecommunication and imaging purposes, were launched into space. The new satellite is a combination of these two, offering both imaging functions and IoT services. One advantage of using satellites for IoT services is their ability to provide integrated, borderless international coverage, enabling services in remote, forested, and mountainous areas."

The CEO also noted, "We are negotiating for the development of a satellite constellation, which involves a large number of satellites. To achieve this, we are considering using both non-Russian and domestically developed launch vehicles to diversify our missions in various orbits."

According to Mehr News Agency, the Kosar satellite, developed since 2019, serves Earth observation purposes, while the Hodhod satellite, leveraging advanced Kosar technologies, was developed in 2022 and launched to provide IoT services.

The launch of these two satellites marks the first step in forming a satellite constellation. This constellation will consist of 200 satellites of the Hodhod and Kosar types, paving the way for comprehensive spatial monitoring and communication capabilities.