Iran’s space program moving ahead with launch of Pars-2 satellite, Shahid Soleimani constellation deployment: Minister

Iran's space industry is pressing forward with renewed momentum, as the minister of information and communications technology announces the underway plans for the imminent launch of the “Pars 2” satellite and deployment of the “Shahid Soleimani” constellation by year-end.

Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with experts and managers of the Iranian Space Research Institute, including Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), Sattar Hashemi praised the achievements of the space sector under the current administration, attributing progress to the efforts of specialists and experts in the field.

“The approach of the Ministry of Communications and the fourteenth administration toward the space industry is a strategic one, and this field has extensive capacities for the development of smart agriculture, water resource management, land management, and improving the quality of data-driven governance in the country,” Hashemi stressed.

The minister also highlighted the resilience of Iran’s space infrastructure during wartime conditions, describing continued operations as a significant achievement.

“The continuation of the country's space activities under difficult conditions is the result of the commitment, expertise, and round-the-clock efforts of colleagues in this field,” Hashemi added.

Referring to ongoing projects, he added that “the necessary planning is underway to place the ‘Pars 2’ satellite into orbit.”

Pars-2 is an advanced, domestically-developed highly-accurate and imaging satellite manufactured by ISA with the primary mission of Earth observation, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring.

Hashemi further stressed the importance of strengthening international and technological cooperation while rebuilding and restructuring the sector after recent challenges caused by the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

“With the country moving beyond the conditions arising from the Ramadan War and the emergence of new opportunities, precise planning must be carried out for restructuring the space industry and making use of new capacities for international cooperation,” he said.

The minister also underlined the need to expand satellite applications, stressing, “The development of satellite constellations, especially in the field of communications satellites, is among the country's priorities, and the Shahid Soleimani constellation will be ready for launch by the end of the year.”

Iran to unveil indigenous remote-sensing Pars-2 satellite next month

The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) says the domestically-manufactured remote-sensing Pars-2 satellite will be unveiled early next month.

In his remarks, Salarieh, the ISA’s chief, reaffirmed that space projects are continuing at high speed and rejected claims that the industry had been disrupted by war time conditions.

“The projects in the space industry are being carried out at high speed. The damage inflicted during the Ramadan War does not mean that our space industry has stopped; the country's space industry is still operating,” he stressed.

Salarieh further emphasized the distributed nature of Iran’s space infrastructure, explaining that the system is not centralized in a way that would allow it to be halted by targeting a single site.

He also stressed that services such as satellite communication, data reception, and imagery remain fully operational even during wartime conditions.

Salarieh concluded by reaffirming continued progress on major national space programs.

“The projects are progressing well; the Shahid Soleimani constellation is advancing properly and its launch will take place soon. We had previously said that the work would be ready by [the Persian calendar year] 1405, and God willing it will be done in 1405 [which ends on March 20, 2027,” he stressed.

The chief of ISA added that, given several months of wartime conditions, some processes may have slowed slightly, but activities were still being pursued and no paralyzing or halting damage had been inflicted on the space industry.

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