Iran’s Soroush II Satellite Carrier Planned to Have 500-Ton Launch Mass
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The launch mass of Iran’s planned Soroush II satellite carrier is going to be over 500 tons, an official said.
Iran became the first country in the Muslim world to join the club of countries possessing the full cycle of space technology after launching the Omid Satellite with the Safir satellite carrier in 2009, Spokesman for the Defense Ministry’s Space Division Ahmad Hosseini Mounes said, addressing a ceremony held to unveil the space and astronomy news section of the Tasnim News Agency on Thursday.
After that, it was necessary that Iran move beyond sending satellites weighing 40 to 50 kg, and a roadmap was developed to have Simorgh and Zoljanah satellite carriers and in the future Sarir and Soroush satellite carriers, he stated.
“In the space (industry) field, we have taken good strides and managed to reach the 500 km orbit with (satellites weighing) up to 100 kg,” Hosseini Mounes noted.
“We should increase this 100 kg (weight) to 15 tons,” he said, adding that it means a very great technology work environment lies ahead.
He referred to the Simorgh satellite carrier and said it has a diameter of 2.4 meters and a launch mass of 80 tons.
“In Soroush II satellite carrier, (whose production) is at the end of Iran’s space (industry) roadmap, the launch mass should increase to over 500 tons,” he stated.
Hosseini Mounes further referred to some shortcomings in the space industry in the past and said that since the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi took office back in August 2021 and the convening of the Supreme Space Council twice, there has been an acceleration of activities in the field.
He also hailed the Tasnim News Agency for launching the space and astronomy news section, noting that it is the first such move in the media sphere.