Iran’s Satellite Launch Sends a Message: A Leading Power in the New Global Order
WANA (Dec 28) – Iran’s space industry today witnessed one of its most significant achievements in recent years. Three domestically developed satellites—Zafar-2, Paya, and the upgraded Kowsar—were successfully launched a short time ago into low Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of about 500 kilometers by the Russian Soyuz launch vehicle from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Minutes after launch, Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos announced that the Soyuz rocket launch had been carried out “completely normally and according to plan,” and that the satellites would be placed into their designated orbits on schedule.
People watch the launch of a Russian satellite carrier carrying Iranian satellites on a screen in Tehran, Iran, on December 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Roscosmos also confirmed that the mission included 52 satellites, among them the Fregat upper-stage satellite and the remote-sensing satellites Ionosphere-1 and Ionosphere-2, with a combined weight of about two tons, designed to create digital models of the Earth’s surface. Alongside these, 50 other satellites were deployed into orbit, three of which were Iranian.
According to estimates, the Zafar, Paya, and Kowsar satellites will enter their respective orbits at 7:07:00 p.m., 7:09:00 p.m., and 7:11:00 p.m. Iran time, respectively.
In addition, the first ground communication with these satellites will take place at 8:00 p.m. tonight from the Mahdasht ground station.
These three satellites are designed for remote sensing and imaging, with missions focused on Earth observation, natural resource management, smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, and supporting high-level decision-making.
Their expected operational lifetimes range from 2 to 5 years, and the data transmitted to ground stations will enable continuous and accurate monitoring of territorial and environmental changes.
Kowsar was developed by a private knowledge-based company, Zafar-2 is the result of efforts by experts at Iran University of Science and Technology, and Paya was built by Iran Electronics Industries (SAIRAN).
This diversity of developers reflects the emergence of an active, multi-layered ecosystem in Iran’s space sector—one in which universities, the private sector, strategic industries, and government institutions play complementary roles.
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From a technical perspective, Zafar-2 offers imaging resolution of 15 meters; Paya provides black-and-white images at 5-meter resolution and color images at 10 meters (upgradable to 5 meters through secondary processing); and the new version of Kowsar delivers 4-meter spatial resolution.
Together, these capabilities represent a noticeable leap in the quality of Iran’s remote-sensing data, significantly enhancing the country’s analytical capacity in areas such as water resource management, land subsidence monitoring, and environmental risk assessment.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology described the space industry as “an undeniable necessity for governing and developing the country,” emphasizing its decisive role today in social, economic, and managerial dimensions.
According to him, remote-sensing satellites are a core tool for land management, with wide-ranging applications in water resource management, monitoring water bodies, pollution control, tracking land subsidence, and improving agricultural productivity.
He also stressed that the development of high-speed communications infrastructure—especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas—inevitably requires the use of satellite technologies in some cases. The Iranian government, he said, plans to connect all villages with more than 20 households to high-speed communication networks by the end of the Seventh Development Plan.
Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on December 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
The selection of the Soyuz launch vehicle for this mission was a technical decision based on international standards. Precise insertion of remote-sensing satellites into their designated orbits requires narrow launch windows, high accuracy, and strong operational reliability—criteria that Soyuz, as one of the world’s most proven launch systems with over 1,700 successful missions, reliably meets.
In the global space industry, using foreign launch vehicles for specific missions is common practice. Many countries with advanced space capabilities—including the United States, India, Japan, China, and European nations—make use of international launch services depending on technical, economic, and scheduling considerations.
Preparation and Integration of the Kowsar Satellite to the Launch Vehicle.Social media/ WANA News Agency
Experts believe that by following a “hybrid development” model—combining domestic launches with international cooperation—Iran is moving toward increasing the number of missions, reducing the time between launches, and building satellite constellations.
At the same time, domestic infrastructure at various space centers across the country is being developed and completed to increase the share of indigenous launches in the coming years.
Beyond the analyses, figures, and technical specifications, what made this launch different for many Iranians was its human and hopeful atmosphere.
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Footage of the audience rising to their feet in applause at the launch celebration—at the exact moment the Soyuz rocket lifted off—was one of those scenes that quickly spread across social media.
On social media, especially X, congratulatory messages appeared one after another: “Congratulations to the people of Iran. Three domestically built Iranian satellites have been placed into a 500-kilometer Earth orbit.”
Another user wrote: “If Iran continues on this scientific and collaborative path, even a satellite constellation won’t be out of reach.”
People watch the launch of a Russian satellite carrier carrying Iranian satellites on a screen in Tehran, Iran, on December 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
And according to another Iranian user: “Regardless of any political perspective, having three Iranian satellites in Earth orbit at the same time genuinely creates a sense of pride. Science follows its own path.”
The simultaneous launch of three advanced remote-sensing satellites is not only a technical success, but also a clear signal of Iran’s determination for an active, sustained, and purposeful presence in the space technology arena—one that strengthens data, knowledge, and decision-making power as key components of national development.
