Iran's Khayyam Satellite Conducts Remote Sensing for Land Use Monitoring
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Space Agency’s (ISA) spokesperson, Hossein Daliriyan, said on Saturday that the country's Khayyam satellite has commenced remote sensing activities to monitor and map land use changes.
In collaboration with the Information Technology Organization of Iran (ITO), the ISA is working on legal procedures to prepare and present the initial batch of satellite images to judicial authorities combating land expropriation, he said.
Under an existing memorandum of understanding between the ISA and the ITO, the latter requested more precise data and observation of land surfaces through the satellite to address legal disputes between ordinary citizens and state entities. As data collection and analysis proceed according to the agreement, the two Iranian organizations are exploring legal avenues to achieve their objectives and provide the first set of satellite images to aid in addressing cases of grab and monitoring land use changes.
Daliriyan stated, "Khayyam satellite is currently capturing images from various parts of the country as part of efforts to implement the memorandum of understanding. These images will be utilized to address legal challenges faced by ordinary people and state institutions concerning land use changes."
He added, "We are ready to provide necessary data to other Iranian state agencies and assist them in resolving their issues in various fields, including environmental monitoring, water resources, soil erosion, and land subsidence."
The Khayyam satellite was launched in August of the previous year from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, marking the initiation of "strategic" aerospace cooperation between Iran and Moscow. Designed for remote-sensing applications, the satellite will capture high-quality images four times a day, primarily for environmental and agricultural research purposes, as well as monitoring water resources, managing natural disasters, overseeing development projects, detecting environmental hazards, monitoring mines and excavations, and ensuring border surveillance.
Shortly after the launch, Iran's Space Organization received the first telemetry data transmitted by the Khayyam satellite. It was launched with a velocity of 7.6 kilometers per second and placed into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) approximately 500 kilometers above the Earth's surface, 480 seconds after liftoff.
The Earth observation satellite is named after the renowned Persian polymath Omar Khayyam, recognized worldwide for his significant contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and poetry.
Despite facing sanctions from Western countries in recent years, Iran has made notable advancements in various fields of science and technology.