WANA (Feb 03) – Coinciding with the start of Space Technology Week in Iran, the first images captured by Paya (Tolou-3), the country’s most advanced Earth observation satellite, were officially unveiled—marking a new milestone in Iran’s indigenous space technology development.

 

The unveiling ceremony was held on Tuesday morning, February 3, Iran’s National Space Technology Day, with the participation of Seyed Sattar Hashemi, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, and Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. During the event, the initial satellite images produced by Paya were presented to the public for the first time.

 

The Paya satellite was launched into orbit on January 28, alongside two other Iranian satellites—Kosar and Zafar-2—aboard a Soyuz launch vehicle from Russia. The mission was carried out within the framework of international launch services and technical cooperation in the space sector.

First Images from Iran’s Most Advanced Earth Observation Satellite Unveiled. Social media /
WANA News Agency

Paya is considered Iran’s most advanced domestically developed imaging satellite. It is equipped with two imaging sensors capable of capturing black-and-white images with a spatial resolution of 5 meters and color images with a resolution of 10 meters. Through the use of artificial intelligence–based image processing algorithms, the effective resolution of the data is enhanced to approximately 3 meters.

 

A key technological highlight of Paya is the use of mirror-based imaging technology, implemented for the first time in Iran’s space industry. This innovation significantly improves image quality and system performance, positioning Paya as the most sophisticated Iranian-built Earth observation satellite to date.

 

As part of the same series of events held during Space Technology Week in Iran, the Salmas Space Center was also officially inaugurated. The facility is expected to play a vital role in supporting space missions, receiving satellite data, and expanding the country’s space infrastructure.

 

The unveiling of Paya’s first images, together with the launch of new ground facilities, underscores Iran’s growing emphasis on advanced space technologies and its efforts to strengthen independent Earth observation capabilities—technologies with broad applications in environmental monitoring, natural resource management, agriculture, and disaster response.