Iran to launch Zafar, Paya satellites on Russian Soyuz rocket this fall

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran announced that its Zafar and Paya remote-sensing satellites will be launched into orbit aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket this fall, marking another step forward in the country’s expanding space program.

Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency, said the satellites were originally scheduled for launch last year but faced delays from the Russian side. 

While the foreign launch option remains the immediate path, he noted that Iran continues to evaluate domestic capabilities for future missions.

The Zafar and Paya satellites were first unveiled in the Iranian calendar year 1402 and slated for deployment in 1403. 

Both are designed to enhance Iran’s remote-sensing capacity, supporting applications in agriculture, environmental monitoring, and national infrastructure planning.

Salarieh also confirmed that the first phase of the Chabahar Spaceport — a strategic project on Iran’s southern coast — will be completed by year’s end. 

The phase includes a launch pad, command and telemetry centers, as well as essential infrastructure such as power grids and access roads. Following test runs, a trial launch will be conducted.

Construction on the second phase, dedicated to medium-class liquid-fuel launchers, is scheduled to begin this year. Salarieh emphasized that the Chabahar site will play a pivotal role in reducing reliance on foreign launch providers in the long term.

Additionally, he revealed that a second test model of the Nahid-2 communications satellite is slated for launch this year on Iran’s domestically developed Simorgh rocket, underscoring Tehran’s parallel push for independent launch capabilities.