Tehran, 18th November 2025
Iranian authorities on Tuesday confirmed that they will soon be sending three Earth-observation satellites into orbit and conduct the first test launch from its new Chabahar Space Centre, marking further advancements of Tehran's quickly-developing and expanding space and research technology programme.
Speaking at a media event in Semnan, Iranian Space Agency chief Hassan Salarieh said the Zafar-2, Paya and a second batch of Kosar imaging satellites were "ready for launch," adding that Iran now had satellites "with one-metre and sub-five-metre imaging resolution under construction."
He confirmed that the Chabahar Space Centre — a coastal launch complex under development in Iran's south-east — would carry out its first experimental launch next year, reports Iran International.
"Chabahar is becoming one of the most important launch centres in West Asia," Salarieh said, noting the facility began construction in 2023 and is designed for heavier, liquid-fuel launch vehicles.
His remarks came amid Tehran's rapid acceleration of its work on the Chabahar's second development phase. Earlier this year, officials said the site would become the country's principal space gateway, capable of launching semi-heavy liquid-fuel rockets into sun-synchronous and geostationary orbits — positioning that gives Iran more flexibility and reliability in placing satellites.
Additionally, Salarieh also announced Tehran's first-ever signing of private-sector contracts for satellite constellations, including the narrow-band Kosar system for emergency data transfer, and highlighted recent milestones such as the launch of private-built satellites on a Russian rocket, the successful 2023 flight of the solid-fuel Sorayya launcher, and the deployment of the Nahid-2 communications satellite in 2025.
The announcement has also sparked worries from Western nations, over possibly well-founded fears regarding the duality of Tehran's advancements in its domestic rocket technology, due to fears that Tehran could very well use these same advancements for developing its badly crippled ballistic missile programme, particularly when the country is facing sweeping international sanctions.
Iran, for its part, has long maintained that its space programme is strictly for civilian and scientific pursuits, with President Masoud Pezeshkian defending the country's forays into rocket technology and space research, calling them essential to national deterrence, while Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has said Tehran may eventually offer launch services to allied states.
According to Salarieh, domestic expertise has expanded Iran's launch capacity to "several hundred kilograms," with parallel progress in propulsion, and solid- and liquid-fuel systems over the past three years.
Since launching its first satellite, Omid, in 2009, Iran has developed a growing pipeline of experimental spacecraft through universities and state-linked research centres.
In 2023 and 2024, the country conducted multiple sub-orbital tests, launched reconnaissance satellites using foreign rockets and unveiled new satellite buses and orbital-transfer stages, including the Saman-1 upper stage designed for higher-altitude missions.
Salarieh said the government views space as a "strategic industry" with economic, industrial and security value. "We have strong human capital and significant infrastructure," he said. "The development of space capability will continue rapidly."
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