Russia launches two Iranian-made satellites - ISW
Iran and Russia strengthen cooperation in space sector (Illustrative photo: Russian media)
Russia has launched two Iranian-made satellites into orbit using a Russian rocket carrier, continuing the trend of cooperation between the two countries in the space sector, reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Russian Soyuz 2.1b launch vehicle took off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on the morning of Tuesday, November 5, sending 53 satellites into an orbit 500 kilometers above Earth. Iranian media reported that among them were the Iranian-made Kousar and Hodhod satellites.
The Kousar satellite is a high-resolution imaging satellite designed for agricultural purposes, natural resource management, and environmental monitoring. The Hodhod satellite is intended to create satellite communication networks, as well as provide connectivity for the so-called Internet of Things, used to establish communication with remote areas.
Both satellites were built and designed by the Iranian private company Omid Faza.
"A prominent Kremlin-affiliated milblogger hailed the Kousar and Hodhod launches as the latest example of growing bilateral cooperation between Russia and Iran in the space sector," the ISW report stated.
Iran-Russia space cooperation
In August 2022, Russia launched the Iranian Earth observation satellite Khayyam (also known as Canopus-V) into orbit.
Iran denied claims that Russia would be able to use this satellite for surveillance over Ukraine.
Additionally, in February 2024, Russia launched the Iranian research satellite Pars-1.
Previously, the ISW-CTP assessed that Iran could use these satellites to provide long-range targeting capabilities for attacks abroad.
At the end of October, it became known that Iran had not yet delivered ballistic missiles to Russia. However, the two countries are continuing in-depth negotiations on this matter.
