Iran unveils Hatef-3 satellite

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran has unveiled the Hatef-3 satellite, a flight model developed as part of the Martyr Soleimani satellite constellation, marking another step in the country’s space program.

The satellite was presented on the sidelines of National Space Technology Day in a ceremony attended by the head of the Iranian Space Agency and Iran’s ministers of defense and communications, according to Mehr News Agency.

The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Communications and implemented by a national consortium comprising three main companies and 12 domestic knowledge-based firms.

Officials said the effort represents Iran’s first coordinated attempt to design and develop a satellite constellation through broad domestic collaboration.

According to project officials, Hatef-3 was built using maximum indigenous capabilities, with a focus on cooperation among young Iranian engineers and specialists. The satellite is intended to meet national requirements while serving as a practical prototype for larger and more advanced space missions.

The primary mission of Hatef-3 is to closely replicate the final operational satellites planned for the Martyr Soleimani constellation. Its launch is designed to validate key technologies and operational concepts in orbit.

These include testing the performance of onboard hardware and subsystems such as propulsion, power management, and flight computers; verifying software systems responsible for command and control; and assessing the feasibility of deploying a satellite constellation in predefined virtual orbital planes using domestically developed launch vehicles.