Milestone in Iran with triple satellite launch

Iran’s space program took a significant leap forward on Sunday as it successfully placed three domestically built satellites into orbit in a single launch, carrying out one of the country’s most complex space endeavors to date. The mission has been hailed as a major milestone by analysts and officials.

The satellites—named Paya, Zafar-2, and an upgraded Kowsar model—soared into space atop a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. They are now circling Earth at an altitude of roughly 500 kilometers and each carry their own specialized mission.

The crown jewel of the trio is the Paya satellite. At 150 kilograms, it is now the heaviest spacecraft ever constructed by Iran. Paya carries an imaging camera capable of capturing detailed pictures of the Earth’s surface. Alongside it, the Zafar-2 satellite, developed by a team of university researchers, and the high-resolution Kowsar 1.5 satellite, built by a private Iranian company, round out the payload.

The satellites are designed for civilian use and some of their tasks will include monitoring the country’s water resources, tracking environmental changes, managing agricultural land, and aiding disaster response during events like floods and earthquakes.