Iran launches domestically designed and manufactured space tug

TEHRAN : Iran has launched a space tug domestically designed and manufactured by Iranian experts and technicians into space aboard a homegrown satellite launch vehicle (SLV), Press TV reported.

The Saman-1, along with a CubeSat and a research payload, was sent into space using a Simorgh launcher from the Imam Khomeini Space Launch Terminal on Friday. With an apogee of 410 kilometres and a perigee of 300 kilometres, the payloads were placed in an orbit around the Earth.

According to the report, Simorgh, developed by the Iranian Ministry of Defence, is a two-stage SLV. The Simorgh, in its eighth launch, has created a new record for the liftoff of payloads, Press TV reported. During the multi-phase mission, the Simorgh placed the Saman-1 orbital transfer block and two other research payloads, weighing nearly 300 kilograms, into orbit.

The Saman-1 system has been designed and developed by technicians from the Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC). The Saman-1 system has been created to place satellites in higher orbits, lowering costs and removing the need for large launch vehicles with high fuel consumption. The space tug was test-launched in 2022.

Speaking about the system, Iran’s space agency chief Hassan Salaryieh said that the system “means a quicker and smoother process of obtaining the orbital point synchronized with the Earth once a satellite elevates its orbital height from the geostationary orbit to the operational one,” Press TV reported. test-launched.

One of the payloads of today’s launcher was the Fakhr-1 communication satellite, Press TV reported, citing Iranian media reports. The satellite, made by experts from the Ministry of Defense’s Iran Electronics Industries, was placed into a 410-kilometer orbit.

The nano-satellite has a 3U size and weighs less than 10 kilograms. One of the aim of this space mission was to validate the multi-payload launch capability of the Simorgh launcher, Press TV reported, citing Tasnim News Agency.

Key subsystems which have used in the Fakhr-1 include the energy management, radio communications, central computer, power, and flight dynamics. Majority of these components have been indigenously made by domestic knowledge-based companies and are being launched into space for the first time.
After separation from the launch vehicle, the satellite shared telemetry data, including information from its subsystems and sensors. During its first pass, the satellite correctly received and worked as per the instructions given from ground stations. (ANI)