Iran to Launch Satellite into Space Friday Aboard Russian Soyuz

By Staff, Agencies

Iran is slated to launch a satellite into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket on Friday as part of a multi-satellite mission conducted from the Russian space launch facility Vostochny Cosmodrome.

The launch is scheduled to take place at 09:54 a.m. Iran time on July 25 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East.

The Soyuz launcher will carry two main satellites, Ionosphere-M No. 3 and No. 4, along with 18 smaller payloads.

The Soyuz rocket was mounted on Launch Pad 1-S at the Vostochny site on July 22, in preparation for the mission.

The logos of Iran’s Space Agency and the Iranian Space Research Center have been printed on the body of the Russian rocket.

Officials in Moscow have not provided details on the smaller satellites, including their countries of origin or specific missions.

This comes as Iran’s Space Agency successfully conducted a suborbital test with the Qased satellite launch vehicle to evaluate new technologies developed by the domestic space industry.

The results of the test will be used to improve the performance of the country’s satellites and space systems.

The achievements come despite the Islamic Republic’s suffering from decades of unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies.

The developments and numerous other successful efforts on the part of the country have awarded it a place among the world’s top 10 nations that are capable of developing and launching satellites.