Iran Showcases Technological Leap with Next Kowsar Satellite
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran will launch the upgraded Kowsar satellite this year, a milestone in advancing its independent space program and showcasing resilience despite sanctions.
On Saturday, with Deputy Minister and head of the Iranian Space Agency Hassan Salarieh in attendance, the enhanced Kowsar satellite was unveiled. Salarieh confirmed that the second model of the domestically built satellite will be launched into orbit in the coming months.
Last year, Kowsar-1 and Hodhod satellites were successfully placed in orbit using a Soyuz launcher. In less than a year, Iran has now completed final testing of the upgraded Kowsar, which weighs 50 kilograms and will be positioned in a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit.
The new satellite will combine the missions of Kowsar-1 and Hodhod, with applications in remote sensing, Internet of Things, precision agriculture, and mapping. Salarieh emphasized that Kowsar is the first observation satellite built by Iran’s private sector, with the second version developed based on lessons learned from the first.
“The launch schedule is influenced by coordination with other payloads on the Soyuz rocket,” Salarieh explained. “Any delay in preparation of those payloads can postpone the entire launch, but our planning is to launch Kowsar-2 this year.”
He said the second version includes upgrades in imaging and telecommunications payloads, as well as in data management codes and algorithms, reflecting advances drawn from the first mission.
Salarieh highlighted that private-sector participation in space technology is inherently high-risk and that only a limited number of companies have the capacity to engage. Among them is Omid-Faza Company, which has taken on this challenge. He stressed that under Iran’s 10-year roadmap and the seventh development plan, multiple satellites will be developed and launched with private-sector involvement.
He added that the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology is working to expand private-sector activity in the space industry. New tenders will soon be announced to hand over more projects to Iranian private firms, providing both a market and guaranteed purchases to encourage growth.
