The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force’s Space Division announced plans to develop a sophisticated satellite carrier that will be capable of deploying satellites into geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above Earth, Iranian sources reported on Sunday.
Commander of IRGC Aerospace Force General Ali Jafarabadi lauded the recent successful launch of the Soraya satellite into low Earth orbit (LEO) using the Qaem-100 satellite carrier.
اگر علم در #ثریا باشد،
مردانی از سرزمین فارس به آن دست خواهند یافت.#روایت_اقتدار pic.twitter.com/aRVH7TfJBS— Ⓜ️نرگسی🇮🇷 (@nargesi__63) January 20, 2024
The Qaem-100, a three-stage satellite carrier powered by solid fuel, efficiently positioned Soraya 750 kilometers above Earth within 11 minutes.
General Jafarabadi confirmed the operational readiness of the Qaem-100 and revealed plans for the test launch of Qaem-105 next year.
Looking ahead, Iran aims to test launch the Qaem-120 satellite carrier within the next three years. This carrier is designed to deploy satellites into the challenging geostationary orbit.
Khyber Shekan MRBM, with new warhead. Very similar but not identical to Fattah 1 warhead@Pataramesh may be of interest? pic.twitter.com/DXlkGW4kf1
— Iran Defense|نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (@IranDefense) November 19, 2023
General Jafarabadi highlighted Iran’s technical prowess in manufacturing sophisticated solid-fuel engines, featuring cutting-edge composite materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and pressures. These engines are equipped with precision-guided nozzles.
In 1984, Iran launched its space program and was focused on developing sounding rockets and small satellites, which it successfully developed and launched in 1999.
Iran began its space program in the early 2000s, building its own satellite launcher on the Shahab-4 missile. The Semnan launch pad in the country’s north was built in 2009.
In 2012, it launched its first telecommunications satellite; in 2013, it conducted a test of its space launch vehicle, Simorgh; and in 2020, it launched its first military satellite, Noor-1.
The IRGC Aerospace launched its Noor-2 satellite by the domestically-built three-stage rocket propelled by a mix of solid and liquid fuels launcher Qassed (messenger) on March 8, 2022, and it is orbiting Earth at an altitude of 500 km.
Due to high costs, Iran’s space program was suspended between 2015 and 2017. Two civilian test launches failed in 2019, but the Iranian military successfully launched two satellites into orbit in 2020 and March 2022.
In September 2023, the Aerospace Force announced they had successfully placed the Noor-3 Imaging Satellite into orbit.
Source » almayadeen