Iran to Launch Three Satellites from Russia on December 28

Three Iranian satellites are set to be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on December 28, marking another significant milestone in Tehran's expanding space program, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

Nour News, linked to Iran's security establishment, said the satellites will support agriculture, natural resources management and environmental monitoring. Russia last carried an Iranian-made telecommunications satellite into orbit in July.

The announcement follows comments last month by Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency, who said Iran is preparing to launch three Earth-observation satellites - Zafar-2, Paya and a new batch of Kosar imaging satellites - and conduct its first test launch from the new Chabahar Space Center.

Salarieh said Iran had advanced to developing satellites with imaging resolutions of one meter and below, and described Chabahar, a coastal site in the southeast, as an emerging launch hub able to support heavier liquid-fuel rockets.

He said the center would eventually serve as Iran’s main space gateway, with a position suited for placing satellites into sun-synchronous and geostationary orbits. Iran has also signed private-sector contracts for satellite constellations and highlighted recent launches aboard Russian rockets.

Iran says its space program is civilian and scientific, though Western governments argue that technologies used for satellite launches can support long-range missile development. President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran’s missile and space capabilities bolster national deterrence.