The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) is planning to launch two new satellites into a low Earth orbit, said Mehr News Agency, adding that the Hodhod and Kosar satellites were scheduled to be launched in October from a Russian spaceport.
According to the agency, ISA head Hassan Salariyeh said on July 9 that the organization planned to launch within a year Kosar observation satellite and Hodhod communication satellite, designed and built by private companies. Kosar can be used for agricultural purposes, surveying and border demarcation. Its lifetime in orbit is two years. Hodhod, in particular, will be used in the area of the Internet of Things and transportation.
On February 29, Iran’s Pars 1 satellite was launched by the Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Russia’s Vostochny Spaceport along with 17 other Russian space vehicles. Salariyeh said on February 26 that a new Chabahar spaceport in southeastern Iran will be commissioned in the second half of 2024, which will allow the Islamic republic to launch spacecraft independently.