1st Iranian Satellite to Orbit at 500 km

Kosar satellite, designed and launched by 8 technological companies, is scheduled to be in a 500-kilometer orbit by the next [Iranian calendar] year (beginning on March 21). This satellite weighs 30 kg and has a design life of 2 years, with spatial resolutions of 3.4 meters; and a near-infrared imaging resolution is 5.5 meters. The frame rate is 6 per second and the near-infrared imaging rate produces 28 frames per second. Unveiled on Thursday on National Space Technology Day, the satellite is undergoing the testing phase. It is scheduled to be launched in the next year, which will be the first private-sector satellite to be placed in a 500-kilometer orbit.

Iran ranked 11th in space science worldwide

Iran is among the 10 countries with knowledge of space technology and is the 11th country in the world in terms of space science and the leading country in the region.  The country launched its first satellite, called Omid (literally meaning hope), on February 3, 2009, designated this day as “National Space Technology Day”. In 2012, a third domestically manufactured satellite, named Navid (literally meaning promise), was successfully put into orbit. According to previous reports, the Iranian Space Agency has plans to launch a number of satellites including Pars-1, Pars-2, Zafar-2, and Nahid-2. Pars-1 is supposed to take pictures of all parts of the country using a high-resolution 15-meter-camera and send its photos from a 500-kilometer distance to the earth stations using a high-powered telecommunication transceiver. - Tehran Times