According to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), Iran wants to launch two domestic satellites into space in December 2023 in collaboration with Russia.
According to the source, Kowsar and Hodhod, which were created by an Iranian consortium of knowledge-based firms, are set to be launched into orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface by a foreign launch vehicle.
Kowsar is an observation satellite with a 3.5 metre per pixel image resolution that can be utilised for agricultural purposes, surveying, and demarcation. According to the Xinhua news agency, the satellite has a two-year orbital lifetime.
According to the report, the Hodhod satellite has applications in the Internet of Things, agriculture, transportation, and crisis management scenarios.
ISNA reported that the contract for the satellite launch had been signed, citing Hossein Shahrabi, Head of the Kowsar Space Consortium.
ISNA reported in February 2022 that the Kowsar satellite had entered the testing and assembly stage after the consortium’s two-year development efforts.