Islamic Republic of Iran to put new satellite into orbit

Islamic Republic of Iran will launch an indigenous satellite called Fajr into orbit in the upcoming months, marking a remarkable breakthrough for the country’s space technology, head of Iran Space Agency (ISA) said.

The Fajr satellite, which currently undergoes its preparatory phase, will be put into space in the first few months of the next Persian calendar year (starting on March 20), Press TV quoted Hamid Fazeli as saying on Wednesday.

The upcoming launch of Fajr heralds a remarkable breakthrough for Iran’s space technology, as the event marks the transition of Iran’s satellite technology from research orbiters to practical and operational satellites, Fazeli pointed out.

Fajr was slated to be launched before the end of the current Iranian year (ending on March 19); however, the plan was postponed to the following year due to some pilot tests, he noted.

The 60-kilogram satellite, which is powered by solar cells, will circle the Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers and will stay in orbit for a period of one and a half years.

The satellite will be used to facilitate activities related to agriculture, conservation of natural resources and forests, management of natural disasters and other data collection purposes, the ISA chief said.