Iran’s military achieved a significant milestone in its space program on Friday with the successful launch of the Fakhr-1 satellite and the Saman-1 orbital transfer unit (OTU) into orbit. The launch, which took place early in the morning from the Imam Khomeini Space Center, was executed using the domestically developed Simorgh rocket, marking a new chapter in the country’s space exploration capabilities.
The Fakhr-1, a nanosatellite weighing less than 10 kilograms, was deployed into low Earth orbit (LEO) by the Simorgh rocket, a two-stage liquid-fueled launcher. With a combined payload weight of approximately 300 kilograms, the Simorgh carried the Fakhr-1, the Saman-1 OTU, and an additional research payload, setting a national record for payload capacity. This achievement highlights Iran’s growing expertise in space technology, particularly its ability to launch multi-payloads with a single rocket.
After its deployment into orbit, the Fakhr-1 satellite successfully transmitted its first signals to ground stations, confirming its stable position in orbit. The satellite was designed and developed in collaboration with the Iranian Army, SA Iran Corporation, and Malek Ashtar University of Technology. It serves as a critical step toward validating technologies for future satellite constellations, with a primary focus on enhancing imaging and electromagnetic spectrum monitoring capabilities.
Named in honor of the late Iranian scientist Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Fakhr-1 mission underscores Iran’s ongoing efforts to advance its space program, including the development of key subsystems such as central computers, power management, radio communications, and flight dynamics modules, all of which were locally developed for the first time.
The launch also marked a significant technical achievement for the Simorgh rocket, which achieved an impressive speed of 7,754 meters per second and a velocity tolerance of less than 0.1% during the injection of its payloads. The rocket’s total weight is approximately 80 tons, and it demonstrated remarkable performance with a first-stage burn time of 105 seconds and a second-stage burn time of 340 seconds.
In addition to the Fakhr-1 satellite, the Simorgh rocket successfully launched the Saman-1 OTU into an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 410 kilometers and a perigee of 300 kilometers. The Saman-1 unit is designed to facilitate the transfer of satellites to higher altitudes, marking another step forward in Iran’s space ambitions.
This successful launch is the eighth for the Simorgh rocket, developed by Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. It further solidifies Iran’s position as a regional leader in space technology, with plans to expand its satellite capabilities and improve space-based surveillance.
