Iran Sends Three Satellites into Orbit Using Russian Rocket Launch
The spacecraft—Kowsar 1.5, Paya, and Zafar-2—mark the newest development in Tehran's expanding satellite program, with numerous recent missions conducted through Russian partnership. The Soyuz carrier simultaneously transported payloads for Kuwait and Belarus.
Iranian authorities described Kowsar 1.5 as an enhanced iteration of the nation's remote-sensing technology, engineered for high-resolution imaging targeting agricultural monitoring. A domestic private-sector firm developed the satellite alongside the Iranian Space Agency, demonstrating increased public-private collaboration.
Zafar-2, another upgraded platform, functions as a sophisticated Earth-observation system designed and constructed by Iran University of Science and Technology. The satellite, weighing between 100 and 135 kilograms, will deliver high-resolution imagery for natural resource oversight and administration, reports indicate.
Paya represents the heaviest of the three spacecraft. Iran Electronics Industries produced the approximately 150-kilogram remote sensing satellite in partnership with the Iranian Space Agency, with officials classifying it among the country's most technologically advanced domestically manufactured imaging platforms.
State television broadcast the launch live across Iran, attracting widespread national attention.
Neither Washington nor its European partners have publicly responded to the mission. Western governments have repeatedly raised alarms about Iranian space operations, asserting they breach UN Security Council resolutions—accusations Tehran consistently refutes.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi released a pre-launch statement underscoring the civilian and scientific character of Iran's satellite initiatives, pledging the ministry's complete backing for the space agency.
"Iran's activities in nuclear science, defense industries, nanotechnology, and satellite development are entirely peaceful and intended for peaceful purposes," he said.
Despite technical setbacks plaguing multiple Iranian satellite missions in recent years, Sunday's successful deployment reinforces the deepening Tehran-Moscow space technology alliance.
Kazem Jalali, Iran's ambassador to Russia, addressed the collaboration ahead of liftoff, describing Tehran-Moscow space sector cooperation as comprehensive. He acknowledged Russia's prominent position in orbital operations, encompassing satellite engineering, launch systems, and deployment capabilities. "Iran's activities in nuclear science, defense industries, nanotechnology, and satellite development are entirely peaceful and intended for peaceful purposes," he said, noting this represents the seventh Iranian satellite Russia has carried into space.
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